Oh…entomologist friends, wildlife mgmt friends, ethics experts….your thoughts on this? My gut reaction: Innovative as it is, this use of cockroaches once again makes me feel like starting a labor union to represent the interests of natures exploited workforce. Barely anyone knows -or cares to know- that we’d all be dead in months without insects’ work pollinating our food, decomposing our waste, aerating our soils (add to that privatized disaster workers, and soldiers for hire) Yet, a majority of people poison them without a thought, upsetting natures delicate ecosystems, because we don’t know what we don’t know. On the positive side, after my first gut reaction, this effort clearly demonstrates the kindness and collaborative ability of cockroaches, which I’ve studied for years, resulting in commercializing a safe, effective, convenient, affordable way to keep them out of homes - without killing or poisoning them. (Sold as StayAwayAnts&Cockroaches at most major retailers.) My late entomologist father studied cockroaches too, so I grew up marveling at thier abilities vs wanting to instantly kill them. No doubt, the person behind this project, marvels at their abilities too. Thank you cockroaches👏 Love to know your thoughts. No right or wrong here. They’re 🪳 clearly cooperating, and caring for one another, as soldiers do, to make mission. #bugnerd I admit. #ethics #science #robotics #nanotechnology #futuresoldiersofwar #progress
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Remote-controlled cockroaches with #computers mounted on their backs can move as a swarm toward a target location and could be used for search missions. Researchers say such swarms could be contained inside large #robots and released on cue to do jobs that would take too long for a single machine, such as taking sensor readings or hunting for specific objects. In these experiments, cockroaches wore “backpacks” consisting of a battery, a tiny computer and an antenna to communicate with a central computer. The team issued commands to each insect through electrodes implanted in sensory organs known as cerci on each side of the animals. When the electrodes applied current to the left or right cercus, the cockroach rotated in that direction. Now, the researchers have shown that a swarm of 20 such #cyborgs can travel as one across a sandy, hilly test area 3.5 square meters in size, designed to mimic a desert. To coordinate the swarm, software on the central computer assigns some cockroaches as leaders that nearby insects follow to the target. The strategy was inspired by seeing tour guides leading sightseers. The computer dictates the direction the cyborgs move in, but the movement of their limbs, and therefore their ability to climb over or around obstacles – which is extremely difficult to replicate mechanically and electronically – is handled by the cockroach itself. In the test, when a cockroach accidentally rolled onto its back, nearby insects would work together to right it; this is an intrinsic behavior, not directed by the computer. Swarms of cyborg cockroaches would be ideal for surveying areas in large numbers, taking environmental readings from onboard sensors, for example, or searching for humans trapped in rubble following a natural disaster. The swarm would be carried to a location by a larger robot and released when needed, carrying out a task and sending data back to a central computer, he suggests. This cyborg swarm could return to the robot to recharge their control backpacks and access food and water. The team has also shown that a rainbow crab (Cardisoma armatum) can be turned into a “bio-robot” in the same way as cockroaches and directed to walk forward or sideways in water and on land. A swarm of cyborg cockroaches and a bio-robotic crab could work together to achieve goals. Now add #AI and mix... #technology #inspiration for New Scientist by Matthew Sparkes https://lnkd.in/ekXv2Kwz
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6moMixed feelings as well Kari Warberg Block. Nature is amazing. I could see both good and evil coming from this technology.