Biobot Rescue-Roaches Will Follow Calls for Help

Nov-07-14 The lowly cockroach may soon be a bit more well-received as researchers develop ways to use sound to steer the creepy creatures in search-and-rescue missions.

The idea of a biobot cockroach was first demonstrated a few years ago, when a team outfitted a roach with a tiny backpack containing a microchip, wireless receiver/transmitter and a microcontroller. The robo-roach is controlled by stimulating its cerci, which detects air movement and warns the roach if something is coming toward it. Stimulating the cerci will cause the roach to rush forward, and it is then steered by stimulating its antenna with a small electric charge.

The new cyborg-rescue robots, created by a team at North Carolina State University, have been equipped with an array of microphones able to detect sound in all directions. Once a particular sound has been detected, its originating location can be determined by crunching the sound through a specially-designed algorithm—allowing the control team to steer the roach in toward it. The team's next step is to fine-tune the microphone array to differentiate between a person calling for help and the other environmental sounds.

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[WASHINGTONPOST.COM]
[NEWS.NCSU.EDU]

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