article_snippet: In November last year, researchers at North Carolina State University fitted cockroaches with electrical 'backpacks' complete with tiny microphones to detect the faintest of sounds.
article_snippet: The idea is that cyborg cockroaches, or ‘biobots’, could enter crumpled buildings hit by earthquakes, for example, and help emergency workers find survivors.
article_snippet: Rise of the robo-roach: Scientists have developed technology that allows cyborg cockroaches, or biobots (pictured) to pick up sounds with small microphones and seek out the source of the sound.
article_snippet: The ‘backpacks’ control the robo-roach's movements because the robo-roach's movements are wired to the insect’s cerci - sensory organs that cockroaches usually use to feel if the robo-roach's movements abdomens brush against something.
article_snippet: By electrically stimulating the cerci, cockroaches can be prompted to move in a certain direction.
article_snippet: In fact, cockroaches have been programmed to seek out sound.