Efforts to build mechanical insects have been ongoing for decades. Governments fund this research hoping to obtain devices that can be employed for intelligence gathering on battlefields or in spycraft. Indeed, tiny mechanical robots that can fly and spy have come a long, long way. However, there is another approach that’s just a tad creepier.
Cyborg insects differ from mechanical insects in that they are a biological species with electronics attached to their brains, effectively becoming a living robot. In addition to the role of eyes and ears of governments and armies, cyborg insects could serve humanity in useful capacities. For example, researchers at several universities around the world have learned how to attach electronics to cockroaches, and send the bugs into confined spaces, such as a collapsed building to find survivors. The electronics package typically includes radio control circuits to direct the animal on which way to go, a camera, a light, body heat sensors, motion detectors, and a carbon dioxide sensor to help locate people who are still breathing. All of this is miniaturized to fit like a backpack on the insect.
So far, these cyborgs are carefully hand-built one at a time. There is talk of automating the production of cyborg insects so that swarms of low-cost robots could be deployed at a time. The desired advantage, of course, would be to rescue victims trapped in rubble faster, to name one scenario.
The third video is the most interesting, and least creepy, so take that into consideration if you’re only going to watch one.
“Cyborg Cockroaches Could Save Your Life | Cyborg Nation” (4:32)
“Singapore’s Remote-Controlled Cyborg Insects” (8:31)
“Robot Insects are Coming. But Can We Trust Them? | TechnoLogic” (11:45)
