Why Oh Why: Cockroach Robots
Why oh why? Why cockroaches, why? Sure they survived billions of years, predating us humans. And in truth, I got a bad feeling they’ll be present in the next stage of the evolution. But just looking at them gives me the horrible creeps. Now scientists from Tsukuba University in Japan are dressing them up for research on espionage and search and rescue. The cockroach you see on the pic has its antennae cut off and replaced with a pulse-emitting electrode. Scientists could then transmit commands to the device attached on the back of the critter and they could make the bug go wherever they want. It won’t be long before they can make cockroaches tap dance — yes, that’s how scary science is. As was said, they’re developing this technology for search and rescue missions though truthfully, I’d rather get buried under an avalanche than be near a cockroach.
Next stop, more cockroaches. This time, scientists of the University Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium headed by Jose Halloy built small robots the size of cockroaches. These small electric bugs look nothing like the real deal (thank god), but they’re able to *influence* real cockroaches. You read that right. In order to emulate the aroma of the real bugs, these robots were doused in appropriate chemicals. Cockroaches which were attracted to the robots were influenced to live in places which are lighter than their usual habitats. The experiment was to determine decision-making for groups of animals. And seeing as these robo-cockroaches were able to influence a clan of their real counterparts, I say the experiment was a success. What it means for the future, we don’t know. But if the technology for controlling minds and behavior develops, I could only be afraid for us humans. How about you?
Source: Engadget (cockroach1|cockroach2)
Second Image Courtesy of ETHZ via Engadget
