Sci/Tech Researchers take full control of cockroach's movement, turn it into a wireless sensor

tom_mai78101

tom_mai78101

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Built-in power supply? Check. Ability to survive anything? Check. Easy to control? Okay, anyone who's had a cockroach as an uninvited houseguest knows that's not the case.

So, rather than re-inventing the biological wheel with a robotic version, North Carolina State university researchers have figured out a way to remotely control a real Madagascar hissing cockroach. They used an off-the-shelf microcontroller to tap in to the roach's antennae and abdomen, then sent commands that fooled the insect into thinking danger was near, or that an object was blocking it.

That let the scientists wirelessly prod the insect into action, then guide it precisely along a curved path, as shown in the video below the break. The addition of a sensor could allow the insects to one day perform tasks, liking searching for trapped disaster victims -- something to think about the next time you put a shoe to one.

www.engadget.com

Researchers take full control of cockroach's movement, turn it into a wireless sensor

Built-in power supply? Check. Ability to survive anything? Check. Easy to control? Okay, anyone who's had a cockroach as an uninvited houseguest knows that's not the case. So, rather than re-inventing the biological wheel with a robotic version, North Carolina State university researchers have...
www.engadget.com www.engadget.com
 
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darkRae

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Remote-controlled suicide squads that are hard to detect and can move through tiny holes? New breed of weapon.
 
Prometheus

Prometheus

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So glad we got a handle on these roaches before the become the alpha race in a post-nuclear world.
 
FireCat

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Varine

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I don't see how it would be used as a weapon. Are cockroaches explosive? Could we use Chinese ones?
 
Accname

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Can they make the cockroach attack people and eat their skin?
Imagine a thousand cockroaches sent out at you to eat you alive.
 
darkRae

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Varine said:
I don't see how it would be used as a weapon. Are cockroaches explosive? Could we use Chinese ones?
Click to expand...

Cockroaches aren't explosive. I could imagine someone putting some explosives in them, and then control them to invade a building through tiny holes or pipes or something like that.

Or maybe we could install voice recorder for more spying power. Cockroaches can go through places human can't. The possibilities are many....
 
Varine

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darkRae said:
Cockroaches aren't explosive. I could imagine someone putting some explosives in them, and then control them to invade a building through tiny holes or pipes or something like that.

Or maybe we could install voice recorder for more spying power. Cockroaches can go through places human can't. The possibilities are many....
Click to expand...

Yeah I don't think the little amount of C4 they can carry will do much.
 
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