TOKYO: A Japanese-led research team said Monday that it has created a wirelessly controlled cyborg insect by equipping a live insect with small electronic devices and a ultrathin solar cell.

Such cyborg insects could be used for long-time operations including search and rescue activities during disasters and surveys of hazardous areas.

Research is underway to realize cyborg insects that can operate in areas where people cannot enter. Developers face the challenge of reducing the sizes of devices, including a solar cell with enough output, and mounting them without hurting the motor functions of the insect.

Kenjiro Fukuda of Riken and other team members developed a precise 3D model of a Madagascar hissing cockroach 6-7 centimeters in size.
Using a 3D printer, the team created a soft backpack that fits the insect’s round back and attached control equipment and a rechargeable battery to the backpack.

It examined the belly of the insect and developed a method of attaching a highly-efficient solar cell film with a thickness of four-1,000ths of a millimeter without hindering the insect’s movement.

The team succeeded in changing the traveling direction of a cockroach wearing the devices, including a solar-charged battery, by remotely giving electric signals to the insect’s sensory organ.

The team’s paper on the research was published on the npj Flexible Electronics journal Monday.

Jiji Press