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IPFS News Link • Science, Medicine and Technology

DIY Cyborgify-Your-Own Cockroach Kit Lets You Steer Real Live Bugs Around

• popsci.com

In a prime example of trickle-down cyborg robotics, the remote-controlled rhinoceros beetle created (modified, really) by DARPA may soon be available in a DIY kit, using cockroaches instead of giant beetles. It could help you realize your dream of turning your cockroach friends into remote-controlled errand-roaches.

The kit is made from parts from a HEXBug robot, a little spidery toy 'bot, plus a few low-power chips that deliver electrical stimulation to a cockroach's antennae nerves. Though the end product basically looks like a cockroach wearing a backpack made of the inside of an alarm clock, it really does work, granting bi-directional control. Apparently the only issues left to solve are the logistical problem of getting the gear to stay on the cockroach, and the reliability rate. BackyardBrains, the creators of the project, says only about 25% of cockroaches can effectively be controlled through this method, but they remain optimistic that that number can be improved.