Cyborg cockroaches getting ready for search and rescue missions

10 insect-hybrid robots showcased at inaugural Milipol Asia-Pacific and TechX Summit

- David Sun

A group of cockroaches were crawling in and out of tiny gaps in an exhibit with simulated rubble at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

But unlike their pesky ordinary counterparts, these live insect-hybrid robots are each fitted with an infrared camera and series of sensors, under development for use in search and rescue missions.

As the bugs are small in size they are the Madagascar hissing cockroaches, which average 6cm when fully grown - they are able to navigate tiny spaces during missions while using minimal amounts of power compared with miniaturised robots.

When they are released into rubble, they are able to detect life via the infrared cameras, providing front-line responders with critical information in emergency situations such as an earthquake.

The cyborg cockroaches are being developed by the Home Team E Science and Technology Agency (HTX) together with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and Klass Engineering and Solutions.

They leverage the insect-hybrid robot expertise of Professor Hirotaka Sato, the provost's chair in mechanical and aerospace engineering at NTU.