--- title: "Inventor of Cyborg Cockroach Says It Will Only Be Used for Good" description: "Worried about cyber-bugs taking over the planet? The Japanese researchers behind new cyborg cockroaches say their enhanced insects are there to do good." date: "2022-09-25" modified: "2022-09-25" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/inventor-cyborg-cockroaches-rationale" categories: - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "cyborg implant" - "cyborgs" - "insects" - "the digest" --- # Inventor of Cyborg Cockroach Says It Will Only Be Used for Good ![Worried about cyber-bugs taking over the planet? The Japanese researchers behind new cyborg cockroaches say their enhanced insects are there to do good.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Bug Out Worried about cyber-bugs taking over the planet? An inventor behind the [headline-grabbing cyborg cockroaches]() unveiled earlier this month say the enhanced insects are there to do good. In a new [interview with *Reuters*](), Kenjiro Fukuda of the Riken research institute's Thin-Film Device Laboratory explained the use cases he and his team are dreaming up for their remote-controlled Madagascar hissing cockroaches — and, fortunately, they don't sound sinister at all. Specifically, Fukuda et al envision the cyborg roaches helping in search-and-rescue missions during natural disasters. The little buggies can fit into places humans are far too large for, and he says their endurance will be better as well. "The batteries inside small robots run out quickly, so the time for exploration becomes shorter," Fukuda told *Reuters*. "A key benefit \[of a cyborg insect\] is that when it comes to an insect's movements, the insect is causing itself to move, so the electricity required is nowhere near as much." ## Solar Stimulation The way these little guys work is pretty ingenious. Outfitted with solar cell-powered backpacks, these large cockroaches — chosen for their size and lack of wings — get their nerve-like appendages known as cerci stimulated by the packs, which in turn signals to them which direction to move depending on what operators dictate. The tech still has a ways to go — in one demonstration, a cockroach turned left when the researchers signaled for it to do so remotely, but went in circles when it was supposed to go right. But it's still a remarkable feat of science. And while there are indeed many ways that human minds can figure out how to use practically any technology for evil, the explicitly heroic purpose Fukuda and his team have in mind for the these funny little cyborgs is reassuring. **READ MORE:** [Meet Japan's cyborg cockroach, coming to disaster area near you]() \[*Reuters*\] **More robotic promises:** [*Elon Musk Says Tesla Robots Could Achieve AGI*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()