Cyborg 'Paraborg' Cockroaches Could Deliver First Aid in Disasters

Engineers have turned cockroaches into remote-controlled cyborgs equipped with cameras and a drug-delivery system, aiming to give disaster rescuers a way to reach survivors trapped in earthquake rubble long before human teams can get to them. The project comes from researchers at the University of Queensland working with the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

The cockroaches, dubbed "paraborgs" (paramedic cyborgs), are fitted with tiny electronic backpacks and steered by human operators who send electrical stimulation to electrodes implanted near the insects' antennae. They are given anesthetics when the harness is fitted, and once the equipment is removed, they "retire" and live as long as other cockroaches, the researchers say. The team used North Queensland giant burrowing cockroaches (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), the heaviest cockroach species in the world at around 35 grams (1.2 ounces) and about 8 centimeters (3.1 inches) long.

Each paraborg team consists of two insects: an "observer" carrying a camera, and a "paramedic" carrying a spring-loaded, needle-based system that can shoot out medication-filled hypodermic needles. Because the insects need to stay still while injecting, the researchers developed new control methods to help them move, turn and remain stable long enough to deliver the medicine.

In tests conducted on silicone and pig skin rather than people, the system achieved 95% success with close-range injections within 15 centimeters (5.91 inches) of the target. The complete navigation-and-injection task succeeded in 72% of trials, while the injection mechanism itself successfully delivered liquid about 90% of the time. The researchers say the approach costs less than designing a miniature robot with comparable abilities.

There is still a lot of work to do before the technology can be used in real rescue operations, but the researchers say the results show the concept is feasible. Their long-term vision is a whole rescue team of cockroaches, with each insect assigned its own role.