Robots

Nidhi Subbaraman NBC News

18 hours ago

Alper Bozkurt / NC State University

Remote-control roach?

Hundreds of cyborg insects carrying radio transmitters like backpacks may one day scurry in to help emergency responders survey damaged or contaminated buildings after an earthquake, chemical spill or nuclear reactor accident.

The cyborg bugs could give responders "a quick picture of the environment," under conditions that may be dangerous or inaccessible to human rescuers, said Edgar Lobaton, assistant professor of electrical engineering at North Carolina State University.

Edgar Lobaton / NC State University

Artist's conceptualization of how a swarm of roaches could help map an area.

Roboticists have been making inroads into swarm technology in the last few decades, but groups of insects have been working together for millions of years. Roaches are natural explorers, and one species, the Madagascar hissing cockroach, is big enough to carry a decent-sized electronics lab on its back, Lobaton told NBC News. Compared to their fully robotic counterparts, insects are also naturally energy-efficient.

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Meet new 'cyborg roaches'