A robotic arm that can automatically turn cockroaches into controllable cyborgs could be used to create swarms of biological robots for search missions. Hirotaka Sato at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and his colleagues have previously shown that groups of up to 20 Madagascar hissing cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) equipped with electronic backpacks can be steered across desert-like terrain. However, to be used in a real-world search-and-rescue mission, the team calculates that hundreds or thousands of cyborg insects would be needed.

The centimeter-scale cyborg insects have a potential advantage for application in narrow environments where humans cannot operate. To realize such tasks, researchers have developed a small printed-circuit-board (PCB) which an insect can carry and control it. The electronic components usually remain bare on the board and the whole board is mounted on platform animals, resulting in uneven morphology of whole cyborg with sharp edges. It is well known that streamlined body shape in artificial vehicles or robots contributes to effective locomotion by reducing drag force in media. However, little is known how the entire body shape impacts on locomotor performance of cyborg insect. Here, we developed a 10 mm by 10 mm board which provided electrical stimulation via Sub-GHz communication and investigated the impact of physical arrangement of the board using Madagascar hissing cockroach. We compared the success rate of gap negotiation between the cyborg with mounted board and implanted board and found the latter outperformed the former. We demonstrated our cyborg cockroach with implanted board could follow faithfully to the locomotion command via antennal or cercal stimulation and traverse a narrow gap like air vent cover. In contrast to the conventional arrangement, our cyborg insects are suitable for application in a concealed environment.

A swarm of remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches can navigate to a target location while avoiding obstacles and each other. Researchers say such swarms could be contained inside large robots and released on cue to do jobs that would take too long for a single machine, such as taking sensor readings or hunting for specific objects.

Have you ever wondered why some insects like cockroaches prefer to stay or decrease movement in darkness? Some may tell you it's called photophobia, a habit deeply coded in their genes. A further question would be whether we can correct this habit of cockroaches, that is, moving in the darkness just as they move in bright backgrounds. Scientists from Osaka University may have answered this question by converting a cockroach into a cyborg. They published their research in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.

Fuller's team is working to construct a robotic fly. Similar to the cyborg cockroaches, the flies could be used in search-and-rescue missions. They could also be unleashed to fly around and look for chemical leaks in the air or cracks in piping infrastructure. "You open a suitcase and these little robotic flies fly around," he said. "Then, once you know where the leak is, you can patch it."

Japanese researchers envision a future where swarms of cyborg cockroaches roam freely inside homes, carrying out a variety of small tasks. A team at the University of Tsukuba modified Madagascar cockroaches with cybernetic implants that navigate the insects up walls and across floors – places other robots have difficult accessing. Called'Calmbots,' the cockroaches were installed with electrodes, a chip antenna, battery and a pixel strapped to its back that can be used as a display. Researchers say the cyborgs can transport objects around the home, drawing things on paper and may one day act as an'input or haptic interfaces or an audio device. Calmbots are a project of Digital Nature Group, a department at the university, which aims to release their creations into people's homes.