Throughout millions of years, animals have played an integral role in serving humanity. Horses and donkeys have been utilised as transport and draught animals, contributing significantly to the development of cities. Dogs, on the other hand, are used as guards of livestock and homes, allowing their owners to sleep peacefully at night.

Thanks to modern training, dogs can now also use their exceptional sense of smell to track disaster victims, such as those trapped in avalanches or earthquakes, as well as illegal substances, including drugs and weapons. Some are even trained to aid individuals who are ill or have disabilities. However, Singaporean researchers have taken the idea of animals helping humans even further.

Scientists have been researching cockroaches for years. A Singapore team is now studying whether the insects' nervous systems can be combined with computerised backpacks to control them while retaining their natural abilities. This breakthrough research is focused on testing whether an entire swarm of cockroaches can be controlled using computers rather than individual insects.

If successful, the implications of this research could be game-changing for disaster rescue efforts. The initial observations are promising, offering a glimmer of hope for the potential success of the study.

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have released a group of Madagascar cockroaches fitted with computerised backpacks into the desert to study their capabilities. These cockroaches can grow up to 6 cm, which makes them ideal for entering small holes that may be important when searching for victims of disasters like earthquakes. The researchers hope their research will yield positive results.

In the future, the nervous system of these cyborg cockroaches will be connected to a computer equipped with motion sensors. This will enable the device to detect human movements in rubble and identify the presence of carbon dioxide or changes in ambient temperature.

Source: The Straits Times