Fully Implanted Miniature Radio Controller Boosts Cyborg Insect Mobility in Challenging Terrains

Cyborg insect is a living insect equipped with electronic devices for allowing remote control of their movement. Due to their small size and locomotor capability, cyborg insects have potential advantages for application in cluttered environments where human cannot operate. Past studies have proposed various cyborg insects using different insect species and custom-made controllers equipped with sensors for desirable tasks. Those cyborg insects were usually equipped with the electronic devices on the back, leading to the loss of useful body shape of the platform organism. Although the body shape of animals is known to contribute to effective locomotion in their living environments, it has been unexamined how the arrangement of electronics to cyborg insect affects its locomotion. Here, we developed a miniature wireless controller that is fully implantable to small insects and demonstrated that the implantation of electronic device enhances traversal performance of the cyborg cockroach. The developed wireless controller was 10 mm in width, 10 mm in length, and 3 mm in height. It served sub-1 GHz communication and electrical signal output for maneuvering locomotion of cockroach. The cockroach with the implant maintained the innate tendency and traversal performance in gap negotiation comparable to intact animals, whereas the cyborg cockroach with the electronics mounted on the back exhibited degraded performance. The automatic stimulation algorithm successfully navigated the cockroach with the implant to the target with a success rate of 90.9%. The proposed technique will boost the capability of cyborg insects in challenging terrains in real scenarios.