Судлаачид Мадагаскарын тэмээлзгэнэ царцаанд зориулалтын төхөөрөмж суурилуулснаар тэдгээрийг усан дор гурван цаг хүртэл хугацаагаар ажиллах чадвартай “киборг” шавж болгон хувиргажээ.
Nature Communications сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн судалгаагаар, эрдэмтэд Мадагаскарын тэмээлзгэнэ царцааг биеийн бүтэц болон бат бөх чанарт нь үндэслэн сонгож авсан байна. Тэдгээр шавжны цээжин хэсгийн амьсгалын нүхэнд 3D хэвлэгчээр бүтээсэн, хүчилтөрөгчийн хангамж бүхий мини шумбалтын хувцсыг суурилуулжээ. Энэхүү систем нь усан доорх хүчилтөрөгч багатай орчинд шавжийг амьд үлдэж, хөдөлгөөнөө үргэлжлүүлэх боломжийг олгодог байна.
Сингапурын Наньян технологийн их сургуулийн профессор, судалгааны ахлах зохиогч Хиротака Сатогийн тайлбарласнаар, энэхүү технологи нь хуурай газрын шавжийг газар болон усан орчинд ажиллах чадвартай амфиби робот болгон хувиргаж буй хэрэг юм. Уг төхөөрөмжийг ашигласнаар шавжнууд нарийн зай завсар болон үерт автсан гамшгийн бүсүүдэд нэвтрэх боломжтой болжээ.
Эрдэмтэд энэхүү шийдлийг хүн хүрэхэд хэцүү эсвэл эрсдэлтэй хоолой дамжуулах шугам, үерийн бүс зэрэг газарт хайгуул хийх, аврах ажиллагааг сайжруулахад ашиглах боломжтой гэж үзэж байна. Ирээдүйд энэхүү аргыг царцаа, цох зэрэг бусад төрлийн шавжид тохируулан хөгжүүлэх боломжтой бөгөөд энэ нь аврах ажиллагааны хүрээг тэлэх чухал алхам болох юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A team of researchers has turned Madagascar hissing cockroaches into amphibious “cyborg” insects by fitting them with a tiny diving system that lets them operate underwater for up to three hours. According to a study published in Nature Communications, the technology could eventually help explore flooded areas and other places that are too dangerous for people to enter.
The idea may sound like science fiction, yet it relies on a surprisingly simple concept: combining the insects’ natural mobility with lightweight equipment that allows them to breathe underwater. The result is a land insect that can also move through submerged environments.
The researchers chose Madagascar hissing cockroaches because they are among the largest and toughest cockroaches species. Those characteristics make them well suited to carrying the small device without losing their ability to move through tight spaces.
A Tiny Diving Suit Makes The Difference
The insects were fitted with a miniature “diving suit” made up of a protective shell and small oxygen tubes connected to their thoracic spiracles, the breathing openings on their bodies. The system works much like a scuba regulator, delivering oxygen while the cockroaches remain underwater.
As stated by the researchers, this setup allows a terrestrial insect to survive and keep moving in oxygen-poor environments such as submerged spaces.
“By fitting a cockroach, which is a terrestrial species, into this diving suit, we allowed it to survive and operate in oxygen-deprived environments such as underwater, transforming it into an amphibious cyborg robot capable of operation across land and water,” explained Hirotaka Sato, senior author of the study and a professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Tests described in the paper showed that the insects could stay underwater for as long as three hours while continuing to operate with the attached equipment.
A Tool For Flooded Disaster Zones
The experts believe these insects could prove useful in situations where access is difficult or risky. As explained in the study, possible applications include inspecting the inside of pipelines and exploring flooded disaster areas where people cannot easily reach.
Floods can leave roads blocked by water and debris, making rescue operations much more complicated. Small insects that can move through narrow spaces may be able to reach locations that are otherwise inaccessible.
Sato said expanding the insects’ capabilities to include underwater travel could strengthen future search-and-rescue operations. He noted that flooded disaster sites were one of the main situations the team had in mind while developing the technology.
“This is important because real disaster sites can be challenging after heavy rain or flooding, blocking access routes in the rubble, drains and narrow gaps. By expanding the operating parameters of our cyborg insects to include underwater travel, we believe that they can enhance search and rescue efforts,” he explained in a statement published by Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Why These Cockroaches?
Not every insect can carry a miniature breathing system. The researchers describe Madagascar hissing cockroaches as one of the most promising candidates because of their robustness. Adults can grow to around 7.5 centimeters long, roughly the length of an adult’s finger, a can live for up to five years.
Their larger bodies make it easier to mount the protective shell and oxygen delivery system while allowing the insects to keep moving. According to the study, the same approach could eventually be adapted for other insects, including locusts and beetles.
For now, the research demonstrates that a terrestrial insect can be equipped to travel across both land and water using a lightweight breathing system. As reported in Nature Communications, the work is aimed at creating insect-based platforms that can operate in environments that remain difficult for humans to access.
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