SINGAPORE – Cyborg cockroaches on search-and-rescue missions can work as a team and follow a leader to cover terrain faster, thanks to a system upgrade developed by researchers in Singapore and Japan.

The cyborg insects can even help each other, flipping over those among them which have turned upside down.

This development marks the latest breakthrough for the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) researchers who developed the technology to control the movement of insects with electronic devices strapped to their backs.

In April 2024, the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) and NTU showcased the use of the technology during a trade exhibition, demonstrating its potential to supply first responders with vital information, such as pinpointing survivors’ locations in the aftermath of an earthquake.

Thumb-size chipsets, equipped with infrared cameras and other tools for search and rescue, are strapped onto the backs of Madagascar hissing cockroaches.

Wires attached to their antennae and rear send gentle pulses to “nudge” the cockroaches to move in a specific direction, by artificially producing the sensation of coming into contact with an obstacle.

Previously, each cockroach was controlled individually.

This is useful, but it is not enough for large-scale operations like earthquake rescue missions, where time is of the essence, said Professor Hirotaka Sato from NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, in a recent interview with The Straits Times. 

With the upgrade, a swarm of them can be controlled as a group, increasing their effectiveness in finding survivors in a rescue mission or mapping terrain.

An algorithm connects multiple cockroaches through the new miniaturised radio controller unit mounted on their backs.

One insect – perhaps the one nearest to potential survivors – can be appointed as a leader. The leader’s backpack will coordinate ...