Researchers' Cyber-Cockroaches Show Promise for Autonomous Navigation in Disaster Response and More

Researchers from Osaka University and Diponegoro University are looking to both protect fragile humans from dangerous environments and fragile environments from dangerous humans — by farming jobs from search-and-rescue to archaeology to cybernetic cockroaches.

"The creation of a functioning robot on a small scale is challenging; we wanted to sidestep this obstacle by keeping things simple," explains project lead Mochammad Ariyanto of the team's work. "By simply attaching electronic devices to insects, we can avoid the finer details of robotics engineering and focus on achieving our goals."

The idea of turning a cockroach into a cyborg isn't new, and the literature is filled with projects that place the insects under remote control by hooking electronics up to their sensory inputs. Ariyanto and colleagues, though, have done something different: created what the call a biohybrid behavior-based navigation system, which allows the cyber-cockroaches to navigate autonomously even in complex environments.

"I believe our cyborg insects can achieve objectives with less effort and power than purely mechanical robots," claims senior author Keisuke Morishima. "Our autonomous biohybrid navigation system overcomes problems that have traditionally challenged robots, such as recovering from falling. This is what is needed for stepping outside the laboratory and into real-life scenarios like wilderness."

The team's cyber-cockroaches were fitted with sensors to detect movement and obstacles using an electronics package designed to work alongside, rather than override, the creatures innate abilities. When necessary, the electronics delivered navigation commands to keep the cockroaches on-track — but otherwise the insects were left to decide how best to navigate the environment themselves.

The successes in testing have the researchers considering a range of possible jobs for the robo-roaches: search-and-rescue and site inspection following disasters, exploring and mapping pipework or collapsed buildings, and even archaeology — where, the team suggests, their light weight and careful nature could provide them access to delicate and sensitive cultural sites without fear of damage. The researchers are even considering the creatures for use in deep-sea or space exploration, thanks to the cockroaches' ability to survive in low oxygen environments.

The team's work, which was carried out with all due consideration for the creatures' welfare, is to be published in the journal Soft Robotics under closed-access terms.