Imagine this: you’re trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building and see, through the dust, a giant cockroach with cables protruding from its back approaching. Your first instinct would be to scream. But that cockroach has come to save you.
This is how ‘Paraborg’ works, a project by the universities of Queensland and New South Wales, in Australia, led by biorobotics engineer Thang Vo-Doan. They use giant burrowing cockroaches (Macropanesthia rhinoceros) because their size allows them to be equipped with lightweight electronic harnesses, tiny cameras, and even mechanisms that automatically inject medication. All while an operator guides them remotely through tunnels and cracks where no human or conventional robot could enter.
The researchers themselves acknowledge the problem: seeing this wired insect approach can look like something out of a horror movie, especially when someone is injured and frightened. That’s why they are already considering adding flashing lights or a small speaker that repeats “help is on the way”. In tests, the Paraborgs reached their destination 100% of the time, and the injection system worked in 90% of cases. They are frightening to watch, but they could be the difference between life and death.