This is not something out of a science fiction movie. After three years of research and development the RoboRoach is real.
RoboRoach is a wirelessly controlled backpack that can be attached to a real live cockroach with some quick do it yourself surgery. Once you do the surgery and attach the reusable RoboRoach backpack to your cockroach you can briefly and wirelessly control the left/right movement of a cockroach by microstimulation of the antenna nerves. While controlling cockroaches is just uber cool it’s also a bit educational teaching the owner about neurotechnology.
The RoboRoach will only set you back $99 and it weighs 4.4 grams with the battery. Each battery lasts over a month.
After you perform the do it yourself surgery you attach the silver electrodes to the roach’s antenna. The surgery attaches the backpack to the cockroach. You’ll be able to control the cockroach for a few minutes before it adapts. Then after you return the cockroach to it’s cage and let him rest for 20 minutes he forgets about the backpack and the control and you’re back to controlling the roach with your phone.
After a few days the stimulation stops working altogether but if you’re breeding roaches in a tank you’ll never run short of having cockroaches to control.
The RoboRoach comes with the backpack, the battery and three electrode sets that will let you control three roaches. You can order more batteries and electrodes directly from Backyard Brains the company that makes the RoboRoach.
Of course Backyard Brains has received some criticism about the RoboRoach backpack which they highlight and answer here on their website. While some don’t believe this is scientific it most definitely is. Also, cockroaches are easily the most killed insects by humans, this way you’re using the roaches for science.
For those concerned that RoboRoach is teaching kids to harm animals the company responds by saying:
“The cockroach is anesthetized during the surgery to avoid the risk of the cockroach experiencing pain (though it is debatable whether they experience pain at all), and the cockroach adapts to the stimulation rapidly. The 55 Hz stimulation we use is the same frequency used in electrical stimulation to treat human diseases such as Parkinson’s.
We have sold analog versions of the RoboRoach for the last two years. Teenagers who have bought this circuit have often done the experiments under the guidance of their parents as an educational experience. These students typically want to pursue careers in medicine or neuroscience. We will be highlighting such examples on our website soon.”
You can pre-order the RoboRoach and find out more at backyardbrainds.com
