MAE researchers turn cockroaches into life-saving cyborg insects for disaster sites search and rescue missions

A research team led by Associate Professor Hirotaka Sato, Provost’s Chair in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, has successfully developed an insect-computer hybrid system. The hybrid system has a live cockroach as the platform, and it autonomously locomotes in obstructed area without help of operator, detects human presence by onboard camera and wirelessly reports it to the remote console. They will adopt the system for search & rescue mission under the collaboration with HTX and Klass Engineering and Solution Pte Ltd.

The research is featured by The Straits Times on 7th December 2021:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/spore-team-turning-cockroaches-into-life-saving-cyborg-bugs-at-disaster-sites

The demo movie is available at: https://hirosatontu.wordpress.com/research/