SINGAPORE: Cockroaches are known for their ability to crawl into homes through the smallest of spaces, and this innate ability is now having engineers in Singapore working to turn the fearsome insect into an ally for rescuers at disaster sites.
One species of insect in particular has the team at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) excited – the Madagascar hissing cockroach.
Adults are on average 6cm long, 2cm longer than the domestic variety.
The species is large enough for Professor Hirotaka Sato and his team at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering to equip the virus carrier with a 5.5g “backpack” containing a range of sensors, including one that can alert them to the presence of gases such as carbon dioxide.
The Cyborg virus also has a tiny infrared camera that can detect life by picking up its temperature signature. The idea is to release its swarms at disaster sites.
Professor Sato’s research, which began four years ago, is being conducted in partnership with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) and engineering firm Klass Engineering and Solutions.
