In the News
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Saving Lives With Cyborg Cockroaches?November 10, 2014 A pair of papers describing these findings were recently presented at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Sensors 2014 Conference in Valencia, Spain and the 36th Annual International IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Alper Bozkurt, a researcher at North Carolina (NC) State University and the senior author of the papers, makes the argument that during disasters like earthquakes or even warzones involving collapsed buildings, “sound is the best way to find survivors.” |
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High-tech harness opens lines of communication between humans and dogsNovember 10, 2014 A new platform that allows humans and dogs increased communications in all situations, from rescue and other working operations to pet bonding, has been developed by researchers at North Carolina State University. |
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Cyber-Roach! Mic-Equipped Bugs Could Aid Disaster RescueNovember 10, 2014 A team of researchers at North Carolina State University has created a swarm of cyborg cockroaches, nicknamed “biobots,” that are equipped with microphones to pick up sounds and trace them to their sources. The researchers hope the biobots could one day be used in disaster-relief situations to locate survivors. |
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This Cyborg Cockroach Could Save Your Life SomedayNovember 10, 2014 Researchers at North Carolina State University say they’ve capitalized on the resilient nature of cockroaches by turning them into cyborgs that will assist in rescue and relief efforts by fitting in tiny spaces at disaster zones that current robots can’t, and picking up sound with tiny microphones. |
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Cyborg Cockroaches Could Save Your LifeNovember 10, 2014 If you’re trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building, the last thing you want to see is a swarm of cockroaches headed your way. But thanks to a group of North Carolina State University researchers, those creepy crawlies could just save your life. |
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Cyborg cockroaches may save lives during rescue operationsNovember 9, 2014 The researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a special type of cockroach-inspired device that they claim can save your life at some point of time. The new device, dubbed as cyborg cockroaches or biobots, may help in carrying rescue operations following a disaster after picking up sounds with small microphones and find out the source of sound. |
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Cyborg cockroaches can help find survivors through their voicesNovember 8, 2014 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. |
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Cyborg cockroaches can hear you call and scurry to the rescueNovember 7, 2014 Researchers at North Carolina State University have figured out how to make cyborg cockroaches — or biobots, as they call them — pick up sound and seek out its source. So one day, the first responders to a rubble-filled disaster scene might be rescue roaches. |
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Cockroach Biobots to the Rescue!November 7, 2014 North Carolina State University researchers have developed technology that allows cyborg cockroaches, or biobots, to pick up sounds with small microphones and seek out the source of the sound. The technology is designed to help emergency personnel find and rescue survivors in the aftermath of a disaster. |
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Cyborg Cockroaches Could Be Used To Save Trapped HumansNovember 7, 2014 Researchers from North Carolina State University have outfitted cyborg cockroaches with microphones which, when wired up to the roaches’ normal sensory appartus, means that the ‘biobots’ will seek out the source of a sound. The scientists hope that, in addition to providing a good tracking tool to Skynet, this will also enable humans to find other humans in enclosed spaces like a collapsed building. |
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Communicate with your dog through a high-tech harnessNovember 7, 2014 A new platform that allows humans and dogs increased communications in all situations, from rescue and other working operations to pet bonding, has been developed by researchers at North Carolina State University. |
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Cockroach cyborgs use microphones to detect, trace soundsNovember 7, 2014 North Carolina State University researchers have developed technology that allows cyborg cockroaches, or biobots, to pick up sounds with small microphones and seek out the source of the sound. The technology is designed to help emergency personnel find and rescue survivors in the aftermath of a disaster. The researchers have also developed technology that can be used as an “invisible fence” to keep the biobots in the disaster area. |
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Cyborg cockroaches can hear you call and scurry to the rescueNovember 7, 2014 Researchers at North Carolina State University have figured out how to make cyborg cockroaches — or biobots, as they call them — pick up sound and seek out its source. So one day, the first responders to a rubble-filled disaster scene might be rescue roaches. |
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Cockroach Cyborgs Use Microphones to Detect Disaster SurvivorsNovember 6, 2014 North Carolina State University researchers have developed technology that allows cyborg cockroaches, or biobots, to pick up sounds with small microphones and seek out the source of the sound. The technology is designed to help emergency personnel find and rescue survivors in the aftermath of a disaster. |
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Cyborg Cockroaches Track You By SoundNovember 6, 2014 In a collapsed building, sound is the best way to find survivors, says Dr. Alper Bozkurt, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University and senior author of two papers on the work. “The goal is to use the biobots with high-resolution microphones to differentiate between sounds that matter – like people calling for help – from sounds that don’t matter – like a leaking pipe. Once we’ve identified sounds that matter, we can use the biobots equipped with microphone arrays to zero in on where those sounds are coming from.” |