Cockroaches made to follow directions via wireless nerve stimulation

(Phys.org)—A team of researchers at Texas A&M University has found a way to control the path a cockroach takes as it walks using wireless technology. In their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the team, made up of mechanical engineers and entomologists, describe how they created little backpacks for the bugs and implanted electrodes to allow for movement control.

Cockroaches are durable, of that there is little question, they live in places where others cannot. That makes them attractive research subjects. In this effort, the researchers sought to duplicate or improve on efforts by other teams attempting to remotely control insects or even rats or mice. In this case, the team created a small backpack and filled it with a very tiny microcontroller, wireless receiver and of course a battery. Next, they inserted electrodes into the body of a test cockroach to stimulate the bug's nervous system. After putting the backpack on the cockroach and connecting the electrodes, the team found that they could control the movement of the bug by introducing stimulation to either its right or left side, similar to reins on a horse. That allowed them to direct the cockroach as it moved around in test areas. The approach, was not perfect, of course, the team found that the cockroach responded correctly approximately 60 percent of the time—but that could be enough, because if the bug does not respond correctly the first time, it can be given another jolt to correct its path.

Such studies straddle ethical boundaries, some have noted, if humans create cyborgs to crawl into misbehaving nuclear reactors or skittle around in debris looking for survivors after earthquakes, for them, does that cross a moral line? What if the technology moves to dogs, cats or even monkeys?

There is also the question of how well the technology might work in practice, prior research has found that sometimes the creature under study grows used to the electrode stimulation and begins to ignore it. The team in Texas appears unfazed, they next plan to see if they can achieve the same results with electrodes placed outside the body, avoiding the need for implants.