Mini robot mimics cockroaches

Iria · Jul 23, 2005, 01:00 AM

Insect "extermination" may soon involve mini robots that can befriend and lure cockroaches from their dens.

Scientists in Lausanne, Switzerland, have successfully infiltrated a colony of roaches with a micro robot that has enough intricacies to interact with the world's most resilient insect, according to a report published in the June issue of IEEE Robotics & Automation.

Called InsBot, for "insect-like robot," the mechanical bug mimics the insects' smell and movements to the point that the roaches have accepted it as their own. That feat helps scientists study mixed societies of animals and robots.

Gilles Caprari, one of the scientists who authored the report, wrote that it's a first step to understanding the complexities of social animals like cockroaches that operate from a "collective intelligence," rather than being run by a leader. It "may potentially lead to...controlling such mixed societies."

That's part of what the scientists have been successful at showing with InsBot. In their latest experiment, the miniature robot drew the group of insects from a darkly lighted den to a more lit location, despite the roaches' affinity for low lighting. The roaches followed InsBot for the companionship.
__________
Read More / Source: News.com

Ðamage™ · Jul 23, 2005, 01:20 AM

That's just plain cool.

Necrosis · Jul 23, 2005, 01:43 AM

Can anyone say "Fifth Element"?

qballshalls2002 · Jul 23, 2005, 04:16 AM

Freaking AWESOME!!!

ReDGuiTaR · Jul 23, 2005, 04:56 AM

now burn them all !

Sandok · Jul 23, 2005, 07:12 AM

Hey, that's where I live... w00t

And that's just freaking awesome!

pr0digal jenius · Jul 23, 2005, 03:38 PM

Pint Sized Pied Piper

How dumb does a cockroach hafta be to accept a freakin box as it's own?

riles9262 · Jul 23, 2005, 05:21 PM

Nice, but what's wrong with cockroaches? Couldn't it sniff out moths or something gross instead?

The_Neon_Cowboy · Jul 24, 2005, 01:34 AM

they will most likely be used for spying..... as oppsed to a "termanator" roach

Jul 23, 2005, 01:00 AM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Mini robot mimics cockroaches Insect "extermination" may soon involve mini robots that can befriend and lure cockroaches from their dens. Scientists in Lausanne, Switzerland, have successfully infiltrated a colony of roaches with a micro robot that has enough intricacies to interact with the world's most resilient insect, according to a report published in the June issue of IEEE Robotics & Automation. Called InsBot, for "insect-like robot," the mechanical bug mimics the insects' smell and movements to the point that the roaches have accepted it as their own. That feat helps scientists study mixed societies of animals and robots. Gilles Caprari, one of the scientists who authored the report, wrote that it's a first step to understanding the complexities of social animals like cockroaches that operate from a "collective intelligence," rather than being run by a leader. It "may potentially lead to...controlling such mixed societies." That's part of what the scientists have been successful at showing with InsBot. In their latest experiment, the miniature robot drew the group of insects from a darkly lighted den to a more lit location, despite the roaches' affinity for low lighting. The roaches followed InsBot for the companionship. __________ Read More / Source: News.com

Jul 23, 2005, 01:20 AM	#2
Ðamage™ DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 545 Rep Power: 0	That's just plain cool. __________________ [COLOR=black][COLOR=red]ATi[/COLOR] Bios Flashing: The Proper Way.[/COLOR][COLOR=red][/COLOR] [COLOR=red]How to properly Install a VGA/CPU Cooler.[/COLOR] [COLOR=black]How to uninstall\install your ATi vga drivers properly[/COLOR] [COLOR=black]*It's not who we are, but what we do in life that defines us.*[/COLOR]

Jul 23, 2005, 04:56 AM	#5
ReDGuiTaR DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Quebec , Canada Posts: 746 Rep Power: 0	now burn them all ! __________________ Zing a ling... zing a ling a ling ... A8N-E - A64x2 4600, 2048 Mb Kingston ram 400mhz cas 2.5 ( 2 x 1024 DualChannel ), Seagate 320 Gig 7200 16Mb cache S-ata 2, GeForce 7900GT 512MB, Enermax 460watt power supply, WindowsXP SP2.

Jul 23, 2005, 05:21 PM	#8
riles9262 Driverheaven brewmaster Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 4,842 Rep Power: 72 System Specs	Nice, but what's wrong with cockroaches? Couldn't it sniff out moths or something gross instead? __________________ A beer a day keeps the doctor away.

Jul 24, 2005, 01:34 AM	#9
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	they will most likely be used for spying..... as oppsed to a "termanator" roach __________________

Jul 23, 2005, 01:43 AM	#3
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Can anyone say "Fifth Element"?

Jul 23, 2005, 04:16 AM	#4
qballshalls2002 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: USA Posts: 33 Rep Power: 0	Freaking AWESOME!!!

Jul 23, 2005, 07:12 AM	#6
Sandok DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 9,472 Rep Power: 0	Hey, that's where I live... w00t And that's just freaking awesome!

Jul 23, 2005, 03:38 PM	#7
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	Pint Sized Pied Piper How dumb does a cockroach hafta be to accept a freakin box as it's own?