A diving suit for cyborg cockroaches could enhance search-and-rescue operations

Scientists from NTU Singapore and Waseda University have developed a flexible "diving suit" for cyborg cockroaches, enabling the insects to survive and move underwater and in low-oxygen environments for up to three hours. Published today in Nature Communications, the study could expand the use of cyborg insects in search-and-rescue missions, especially in disaster zones where flooded rubble, puddles or partially submerged spaces can block access for conventional robots. Cyborg insects are living insects fitted with electronic controllers that guide their movement. Because they use the insect's own muscles to move, they require far less power than small artificial robots, which...