Cyborg cockroaches can help find survivors through their voices

Someday, those vile, slimy cockroaches that make you shriek like a five-year-old girl might look more like little superheroes in some people’s eyes. Researchers from the North Carolina State University have developed a way for roaches to detect and locate sources of sounds (say, a person’s voice), so they can be used in search-and-rescue missions. In addition, they’ve developed an “invisible fence” technology to keep the bugs within an enclosed area. Just like the robo-roaches in a number of previous studies, NC State’s bugs also have backpacks strapped to their bodies, allowing the scientists to control the direction they go to.