This Cyborg Cockroach Carries a 3D-Printed Flexible Backpack with Tiny Solar Cell, Wireless Radio

A team of scientists led by researchers from the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR) has put together a compact flexible backpack for an electronics package designed to turn a living cockroach into a cyborg hybrid — drawing power from solar harvesting while still allowing the creature to move freely.

"Considering the deformation of the thorax and abdomen during basic locomotion, a hybrid electronic system of rigid and flexible elements in the thorax and ultra-soft devices in the abdomen appears to be an effective design for cyborg cockroaches," says Kenjiro Fujuda, who led the international project. "Moreover, since abdominal deformation is not unique to cockroaches, our strategy can be adapted to other insects like beetles, or perhaps even flying insects like cicadas in the future."

The team's work saw the creation of a system for wireless remote control over the leg segments of a Madagascar cockroach, a rechargeable battery system harvesting solar power to maintain its charge, and a 3D-printed elastic-polymer backpack modeled on the cockroach's body — designed in such a way that it remained adhered to the creature for more than a month without hampering its movements whether remotely-controlled or self-directed.

"The body-mounted ultra-thin organic solar cell module achieves a power output of 17.2mW," claims Fukuda of the team's power system, a 0.004mm-thick organic solar cell that charges an on-board battery, "which is more than 50 times larger than the power output of current state-of-the art energy harvesting devices on living insects."

It's not the first time scientists have sought to combine living creatures with an electronic system of remote control, and it's typically the humble cockroach, which serves as the vehicle for their creations. Last year a team of researchers led by members of the Nanyang Technological University built a fully-functional computer system designed for installation on the back of a Madagascar cockroach; four years ago the University of Connecticut used a "neuro controller" with Bluetooth connectivity to remotely control another cockroach.

The team's work has been published under open-access terms in the journal npj Flexible Electronics.