Scientists have successfully 3D-printed a flexible diving suit that cockroaches can wear like a backpack.
The invention, by Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, will enable cyborg cockroaches to take part in search-and-rescue operations and pipeline inspections underwater.
Madagascan hissing cockroaches are already used on land in this way, including in challenging environments and confined spaces. They’re fitted with electronic components such as cameras to report back their findings.
And scientists have been experimenting with remote-controlled insects for more than a decade. Cyborg bugs require much less computing power to run than robots, as they move with the insect’s own muscles.
But this new diving suit should enable cockroaches to navigate aquatic environments too.
A chemical generator within the flexible shell pumps oxygen through the breathing tubes when the cockroach swims underwater.
In testing, the cyborg cockroach was able to move around underwater and breathe for up to three hours.
“By fitting a cockroach, which is a terrestrial species, into this diving suit, we allowed it to survive and operate in oxygen-deprived environments,” the researchers wrote in the study, published in Nature. “Transforming it into an amphibious cyborg robot capable of operation across land and water.”
To create the oxygen tank, scientists used a sponge coated with a catalyst made of manganese dioxide – a compound which breaks down when exposed to hydrogen peroxide, which in turn creates oxygen.
The oxygen is then released in the tank, flowing through four silicone tubes, attached to the cockroach’s spiracles – tiny holes in its body that let in air.
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