Researchers Use Kinect to Steer Cockroach Biobots
Posted on June 25, 2013
North Carolina State University researchers are using a Microsoft Kinect device to remotely control cockroaches. The interface that controls the cockroach is wired to the roach's antennae and cerci. The cerci are sensory organs on the roach's abdomen. The cerci are normally used to detect movement in the air that could indicate a predator is approaching - causing the roach to scurry away. The researchers use the wires attached to the cerci to spur the roach into motion. The wires attached to the antennae send small charges that trick the roach into thinking the antennae are in contact with a barrier, steering them in the opposite direction.
The researchers incorporated Kinect into an electronic interface developed at NC State that can remotely control cockroaches. The researchers plug in a digitally plotted path for the roach, and use Kinect to identify and track the insect's progress. The program then uses the Kinect tracking data to automatically steer the roach along the desired path.
Dr. Alper Bozkurt, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the work, said in a statement, "Our goal is to be able to guide these roaches as efficiently as possible, and our work with Kinect is helping us do that. We want to build on this program, incorporating mapping and radio frequency techniques that will allow us to use a small group of cockroaches to explore and map disaster sites. The autopilot program would control the roaches, sending them on the most efficient routes to provide rescuers with a comprehensive view of the situation."
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