Cyborg roach ready for search and rescue efforts in 1 minute

Assembling a cyborg cockroach now takes only around a minute, allowing for more of these hybrid insects to be created and deployed in disaster relief efforts and time-sensitive situations.

- Sarah Koh

Previously, it took more than an hour to do this, such as in March when 10 cyborg cockroaches assisted in the Singapore Civil Defence Force's rescue efforts following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that killed thousands in Myanmar.

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) said on July 28 that its scientists have built a new prototype robotic system that automates the process for trained operators to manually strap electronic "backpacks" onto the back of Madagascar hissing cockroaches to look for survivors.

These devices contain infrared cameras, sensors and electrodes that can stimulate and control their movements.

The new artificial intelligence system, developed with support from the Japan Science and Technology Agency, uses computer vision and a proprietary algorithm to identify optimal spots on a cockroach's back to implant electrodes in one minute and eight seconds per insect.