robot and is activated when it is near an obstacle. Two more sensors are placed at the bottom of the robot and are activated when it is near other cockroaches. The robot contains linear cameras which are used to identify objects or other cockroaches which are out of the reach of the IR sensors. It identifies dark spots to be a group of cockroaches. With all of these components, Insbot is able to analyze the movements and behaviors of the cockroaches and mimic them. Mission Through the help of Insbot, LEURRE plans to study and control the behavioral models of mixed societies (societies made up of robots and animals) in an effort to prove that is it possible to change the global behavior of the mixed society by placing a certain number of robots in it. Small scale applications With its ability to mimic their behavior and smell, Insbot is able to fool the rest of the cockroaches into believing that it is a part of the group. Once this has been accomplished, it then is able to establish itself as leader of the group. In this position, the scientists hope it can get the rest of the cockroaches to follow it out of their hiding places into the open where pest controllers can target them. Larger scale applications Besides pest control, the scientists believe the robot could be helpful to create other forms of artificial intelligence. If Insbot is able to accomplish the task of getting the rest of the cockroaches to follow its lead, it will show that mixed societies can actually be controlled. This control of interactions between artificial life and living organisms is important in many scientific fields like medicine, agriculture, and ethology because all biological levels are taken into account: the cellular level, the organism level, and the human level. The cellular level regards to the mixture of artificial systems and cells like neurons. The organism level regards to intelligent prosthesis. The human level regards to cooperation between humans and robots. References 2002 robots Cockroaches Insect behavior