Cyborg Cockroaches Get Diving Suits for Underwater and Space Exploration
Researchers develop tiny, 3D-printed suits to allow remotely controlled insects to survive in oxygen-deprived environments, with potential applications from disaster rescue to Martian exploration.
Scientists have developed miniature 3D-printed diving suits for cyborg cockroaches, enabling the remotely controlled insects to operate underwater and in environments lacking oxygen for up to three hours. This innovation could enhance search and rescue operations and potentially pave the way for exploring harsh extraterrestrial environments like Mars.
The cyborg cockroaches are equipped with electrical implants that allow researchers to steer them. The new diving suits address a key limitation: their reliance on oxygen. Cockroaches, like many insects, breathe through spiracles which can become blocked by water or gases such as carbon dioxide. The diving suits function similarly to human oxygen tanks, but instead of a pressurized air tank, they utilize a dilute hydrogen peroxide solution and a catalyst-coated sponge to continuously generate oxygen.
The suits are designed to be small, light, and flexible, allowing the cockroaches to retain their natural mobility. Four small tubes deliver air to the spiracles on the insect's thorax. In tests, the cyborg cockroaches, fitted with these suits, could walk underwater for up to three hours at a depth of 50 centimeters and navigate through CO2-filled tunnels. Their speed was only slightly reduced, from 87.5 millimeters per second to 78.4 millimeters per second, and the insects showed no adverse health effects after the trials.
Professor Hirotaka Sato of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, the lead researcher, stated that expanding the operational parameters of cyborg insects to include underwater travel can significantly enhance search-and-rescue efforts. In 2025, augmented cockroaches were utilized in Operation Lionheart to search for survivors following an earthquake in Myanmar.
Beyond disaster response, the researchers aim to prepare these cyborg insects for more extreme environments. Professor Sato envisions a future where this technology could be adapted for space exploration, potentially enabling cyborg insects to explore the surface of Mars. He noted that cyborgs are more energy-efficient, cheaper to produce, and can operate longer without power compared to traditional robots. However, potential contamination of alien planets with biological materials could be a concern for space agencies.
The research team plans to further test the suits in conditions mimicking space, including extreme temperatures, vacuums, and high radiation.
This development builds on earlier research. In 2021, Professor Sato's team demonstrated the ability to remotely control Madagascar hissing cockroaches by fitting them with small electric backpacks connected to their cerci, sensory organs used for detecting vibrations. By applying electrical currents, the cockroaches could be steered with notable accuracy. In 2024, a swarm of 20 coordinated cyborg insects was controlled to avoid obstacles and each other.
Previous research from North Carolina State University in 2014 also involved developing cyborg cockroaches, or ‘biobots,’ equipped with tiny microphones to detect faint sounds. These biobots were intended to assist in emergency situations by locating survivors in collapsed buildings by differentiating important sounds, such as calls for help, from ambient noise. These earlier biobots were also controlled via electrical stimulation of their cerci, guiding them towards sound sources.