A new model of cyborg cockroaches
Cyborg cockroaches equipped with solar panels
Sergey Vasiliev, Naked Science
Microscopic robots capable of squeezing into any crack will be useful for performing a variety of tasks — from finding people under the rubble to environmental research. And while some developers are working on miniature machines, others are turning live insects into them. So, a few years ago, scientists managed to control the movements of a cockroach using electrodes connected to its nervous system.
Now the system has been significantly improved: a wireless communication module, a rechargeable battery and a solar battery for powering on-board electronics have been added to the cyborg cockroach arsenal. Scientists from the Japanese Institute of Physico-Chemical Research (RIKEN) write about this in an article published in the journal npj Flexible Electronics (Kakei et al., Integration of body-mounted ultrasoft organic solar cell on cyborg insects with intact mobility).
Kenjiro Fukuda and his colleagues worked with fairly large Madagascar hissing cockroaches, reaching about six centimeters in length. To accommodate the necessary components, scientists have designed a "backpack" shape that is comfortable for attachment on the back of an insect. This structure was printed on a 3D printer made of elastic polymer and fixed in place with glue, where it was safely held for more than a month. A microchip, a communication system and other rigid and relatively massive components were placed in this "backpack".
Below, on the dorsal side of the cockroach's abdomen, scientists have installed organic solar panels with a thickness of only 0.004 millimeters. Their power reaches 17.2 milliwatts, which is ten times higher than the capabilities of other energy sources that have so far been used to produce cyborg insects. Ultra-thin and flexible, these batteries are fixed only on individual segments of the cockroach exoskeleton. Due to this, when bending the abdomen, they shift relative to each other and do not restrict movement.
As in the previous version, the system uses electrodes connected to the motor neurons of the insect. Experiments in the laboratory have shown that half an hour under simulated solar radiation is enough for a full charge, after which the cyborg obediently follows the commands received wirelessly for two hours.
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