Remote controlled guided cockroach is created by scientists

Another feat as terrific as it was scary was made by researchers at Texas A&M University earlier this year. Not only were discoveries that give machines the power to "learn how to behave, " scientists have now been able to control the movement of a cockroach by means of a circuit embedded in the insect's nervous system.

In fact, dictating the steps of this type of animal is not an exactly new procedure (see more here). Control of cockroach antennas has been done for years in such tests, but the results of the experiments have never been very accurate - at best, an "obstacle" could be identified by the insect.

This time a circuit powered by a battery was tied to the back of the guinea pig; Two electrodes that stimulate the nerve ganglia - a specific set of cells in the first thoracic - are still responsible for controlling the antennae. The remotely emitted electrical signals, according to the researchers, have been very accurately identified by the cockroach.

According to scientists, walking the animal and even leading it in different directions were some of the actions taken by the insect during the tests. The invented mechanism was named “remotely controlled hybrid robotic system”. Once enhanced, the discovery could cause insects to, for example, vascular debris to search for fire or earthquake victims.

Via TecMundo