A team from Osaka University and other institutions succeeds in turning cockroaches into cyborgs to overcome complex obstacles and terrain
Robots are expected to be active in places where rescue and search by humans are difficult, such as disaster sites and extreme environments, but there are various challenges to equip small robots with the ability to overcome complex terrain. Therefore, a research team including Osaka University in Japan is working on 'attempting to equip cockroaches with electronic devices to turn them into cyborgs.'
Biohybrid Behavior-Based Navigation with Obstacle Avoidance for Cyborg Insect in Complex Environment | Soft Robotics
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/soro.2024.0082
Combining millions of years of evolution with tech wizardry: the cyborg cockroach - ResOU
https://resou.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/research/2025/20250217_1
Scientists Turned Cockroaches Into Cyborgs, Giving Them Navigation Superpowers : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-turned-cockroaches-into-cyborgs-giving-them-navigation-superpowers
While the idea of 'cyborgizing insects' may seem like a ridiculous idea, cyborg insects have many advantages, such as 'minimal power supply and batteries,' 'easy miniaturization due to their inherent small size,' and 'the ability to overcome various obstacles from the start.' However, most of the research on cyborg insects to date has been in relatively simple environments, such as flat surfaces with external devices to assist with navigation.
So a research team from Osaka University in Japan and Diponegoro University in Indonesia worked on turning cockroaches, which have a proven ability to infiltrate various places in the real world and are also very durable, into cyborgs. Mochammad Ariyanto of Diponegoro University, lead author of the paper, said, 'It's difficult to create a robot that works even on a small scale, so we wanted to avoid this obstacle by keeping things simple. By simply attaching electronics to an insect, we can avoid the fine details of robotics and focus on achieving our goal.'
The research team cyborgized a species of cockroach called the Madagascar cockroach , which lives in Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean. Science Alert, a science media outlet, points out that even the best robots at the time of writing are clumsy compared to living creatures, and vertical movements such as going up and down stairs are a major challenge for robots. Cockroaches, on the other hand, have high mobility, climbing vertical walls, climbing steps, and sometimes running through narrow pipes.
Below is a photo of the 'cyborg cockroach' developed by the research team. Click or tap to remove the mosaic, but the cockroach's appearance is clearly visible, so please view at your own risk.
The electronic components installed in the cyborg cockroach weighed about 2.9g and included sensors to detect data such as movement, obstacles, and temperature, and were programmed to work in coordination with the cockroach's natural abilities. In addition, the cyborg cockroach could be guided in the direction of movement by applying stimulation through small electrodes, but it was designed not to interfere with the cockroach's own movements when not necessary.
When the research team tested the cyborg cockroach in a relatively simple environment, a sandy area with stones and wood scattered around, it was able to smoothly reach its destination.
Next, the team tested the cyborg cockroach in an environment with more dense obstacles and height differences, as shown below. Although it took longer, the cyborg cockroach was able to avoid and overcome the obstacles and reach its destination.
Professor Keisuke Morishima of Osaka University and senior author of the paper commented, 'We believe our cyborg insect can achieve its goals with less effort and power than a purely mechanical robot. Our autonomous bio-hybrid navigation system overcomes problems faced by conventional robots, such as recovering from a fall, which is necessary for them to step outside the laboratory and into real-world scenarios like the wilderness.'
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