Cyborg cockroaches with cameras and drug injectors built for disaster rescue
ChuckDBrooks · x · 2026-09-07
Researchers at the University of Queensland and UNSW built "Paraborg," cyborg giant burrowing cockroaches (up to 87mm, 40g) with embedded electrodes for remote control, plus cameras or automatic drug-injection mechanisms.
Two variants serve different roles: one films disaster victims' conditions, the other administers first aid medication. Details published in Advanced Science. Compared with small robots and drones, the insects can squeeze through narrower gaps in rubble, aiming to buy rescuers valuable time—moving beyond prior "search and explore" cyborg insect designs, per bio-roboticist Tan Vo Doan.
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