Cyborg cockroaches may soon deliver life-saving drugs to disaster victims
Just what you want crawling through the rubble to rescue you: A swarm of remote-controlled cockroaches with syringe-shooting guns strapped to their backs
Imagine being trapped in a collapsed building, injured and running out of air, when an unlikely savior arrives. Cyborg cockroaches, outfitted with devices that allow rescuers to control their movements, could soon deliver life-saving drugs to victims in dire situations. Although the idea may seem like science fiction, researchers at Australia's University of Queensland have been working on this concept for some time.
By attaching electrodes to the giant burrowing cockroach - the world's heaviest roach species - researchers have managed to make the insects turn left and right, control their speed, and immobilize them to deliver drugs without moving while scientists take aim. With a 90 percent success rate in drug injection and a 95 percent success rate in delivering drugs to targets within 15 centimeters (5.9 inches), these "paraborgs" could be deployed within a few years to aid in disaster rescue efforts.
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