Would you let a cockroach save your life?
And Jock-cyborg who is activated by remote control and sent on a mission on behalf of human rescue forces?
While you're debating the answer, maybe the following news will help you decide: A Japanese research institute called Riken has developed those technologically upgraded cockroaches, hoping that one day they'll be able to locate people trapped in disaster-stricken areas.
These are whispering cockroaches, also known in French as Madagascar cockroaches - which is where they originate from.
These insects are considered one of the largest species of cockroaches in the world, and may reach up to 7.5 centimeters in size (it's not fun to meet one in the kitchen, that's for sure).
They are resistant to harsh terrain and weather conditions, and even though they don't have wings like most cockroaches, their climbing abilities are particularly impressive: these cockroaches are even able to climb smooth glass!
The "whispers" in their Hebrew name refer to the hissing sound cockroaches make when they push air through their windpipes, and their lifespan in captivity can reach five years - much longer than a normal cockroach.
Therefore, believe it or not, many hissing cockroaches are kept as exotic pets!
The development could help locate people trapped in an earthquake.
illustration,
And back to technology.
The research institute was able to mount a sort of solar robotic suit on the cockroaches' backs, which is charged with the help of sunlight.
The suit allows the scientists to send an electrical stimulus to the insect's stomach with the push of a button, and each such stimulus actually changes the direction of the cockroach's movement.
In the future, the researchers hope, it will be possible to attach sensors and small cameras to the suit, which will help locate those trapped in hard-to-reach places, thus saving lives.
But at the same time and despite the intriguing development, the question arises as to whether this is an ethical step, because what did the unfortunate cockroaches do, who dress them in suits, electrocute them and decide where to go?
Indeed, after the publication in Japan last week, opinions were divided.
Along with voices that welcomed the invention, there were those who came to the defense of the cockroaches, while others claimed that the last thing they want to see when they are trapped under a wave of rubble, is a giant cockroach in a robotic suit.
and you?
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