Cyborg beetles could transform search and rescue

The University of Queensland’s Dr Thang Vo-Doan and research assistant Lachlan Fitzgerald have demonstrated they can remotely guide darkling beetles (Zophobas morio) fitted with the packs via video game controllers.

Dr Vo-Doan said the removeable backpacks prompted movement in specific directions through electrodes that stimulated the insect’s antenna or hardened forewings (elytrons).

“Beetles possess many natural gifts that make them the masters of climbing and manoeuvring in small, complex spaces such as dense rubble, that are difficult for robots to navigate,” Dr Vo-Doan said in a statement. 

“Our work harnesses these gifts and adds programmable controls that allow for precise directional guidance, without affecting the lifespan of the beetle.”

The long-term project involves a team of researchers at the Biorobotics lab in UQ’s School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, who hope to test the technology in a live situation within five years.

Fitzgerald said the latest research - showing how beetles could be guided to move side-to-side and up vertical walls - was a collaboration between UQ’s School of the Environment, the University of NSW, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.