Mechanical engineers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have devised a method for electronically controlling cockroaches without harming them.

To create so-called cyborg cockroaches, the Nanyang team printed gold and plastic layered sleeves that fit over cockroach antennas. Once placed over the antenna, ultraviolet (UV) light is applied to the sleeve and the material shrinks around the antenna, the researchers explained.

Source: Non-invasive electrodes witSource: npj Flexible Electronics (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41528-023-00274-z

Additionally, a tiny backpack is glued to the back of the cockroach, which is connected to the sleeves. An operator can wirelessly send signals to the backpack via hand controller, and this will subsequently deliver gentle and quick jolts to the cockroach's antenna to turn it in a desired direction.

Meanwhile, an electrode is also attached to the cockroach’s stomach, which operators can stimulate to make the insect move faster or slower.

This approach, the researchers explain, avoids affixing probes to the cockroach's nervous system — as was done with previous attempts — which inflicts pain and reduces their lifespans.

The research is detailed in the article, “Resilient conductive membrane synthesized by in-situ polymerisation for wearable non-invasive electronics on moving appendages of cyborg insect,” which appears in the journal npj Flexible Electronics.

For more information on the cyborg cockroaches, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of npj Flexible Electronics.