Latest news with #Vo-Doan
Scottish Sun
08-07-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
How remote-controlled cyborg BEETLES with microchip backpacks could help save lives in horror disasters
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) REMOTE-controlled cyborg beetles wearing microchip backpacks could be used to save lives in horror disasters. Two boffins at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia, are building the smallest search and rescue team. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 PhD scholar Lachlan Fitzgerald and Dr Thang Vo-Doan with two of the beetles Credit: SWNS 6 A darkling beetle equipped with a removeable microchip backpack Credit: SWNS 6 Scientists believe it could cut the time down it takes to find someone in rubble Credit: SWNS They say the plan could cut the time it takes to find someone trapped under rubble from days to hours. The darkling beetles (Zophobas morio) can be controlled with video game controllers if they are fitted with the chips, Dr Thang Vo-Doan and Research Assistant Lachlan Fitzgerald have found. The chips shock the beetles into moving in a certain direction by stimulating the insect's antenna or hardened forewings known as elytrons. So far, they've been able to move the cyborg bugs side-to-side and up vertical walls. Dr Vo-Doan said: "Beetles possess many natural gifts that make them the masters of climbing and manoeuvring in small, complex spaces such as dense rubble, that are difficult for robots to navigate. "Our work harnesses these gifts and adds programmable controls that allow for precise directional guidance, without affecting the lifespan of the beetle." The science is being done by a team of researchers at the Biorobotics lab in UQ's School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, who hope to test the technology in a live situation within five years. Fitzgerald said: "While robots at this scale have made strides in locomotion, the transition from horizontal surfaces to walls remains a formidable challenge for them. "This difficulty arises from the need for active foot pads, soft environmental interactions, and sophisticated sensing capabilities - all things that our cyborg insects possess naturally that allows them to access any area that is required in a disaster environment." Dr Vo-Doan said while a tethered power supply had been used for the climbing test, the beetles were able to climb with a battery equivalent to its own body weight. Watch as Frankenstein cyborg cockroaches fitted with backpacks come to life to form army of search & rescue bugs The team is next working on cameras and a compact and efficient power system to enhance the beetle's mobility and versatility. Dr Vo-Doan said: "If people have been trapped under an extensive amount of rubble, you want to be able to find them as quickly as possible and start planning how to get them out. "We hope to produce a tool that can easily move through chaotic environments to pinpoint a person's exact location, provide clues to any injuries, and give rescuers a picture of what needs to be done to free them". The cyborgs also use a minimal amount of power on each run compared with miniaturised robots that are currently being modelled. 6 The boffins hope to be able to test the beetles in a real life situation in five years Credit: SWNS 6 Having the backpack attached doesn't lower the beetle's life expectancy Credit: SWNS It's not the first time that beetles have been fitted with backpacks and used for search and rescue. Scientists in China built beetles that wore backpacks and could be controlled remotely - but which also could test for carbon dioxide poisoning. Boffins have also created a similar set of cyborg cockroaches. Stuck on the back of real-life Madagascan hissing cockroaches, the chip sits on a panel that uses an infrared camera and a series of sensors to collect and send data to first responders. The original idea for the hero insects comes from Professor Hirotaka Sato. He witnessed the devastation caused by the 2011 Japanese earthquake first-hand and quickly realised there needed to be a faster and more effective way of finding survivors and victims. He said: 'Our motivation is purely to use this technology for search and rescue. To save people from disaster.'
The Irish Sun
08-07-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
How remote-controlled cyborg BEETLES with microchip backpacks could help save lives in horror disasters
REMOTE-controlled cyborg beetles wearing microchip backpacks could be used to save lives in horror disasters. Two boffins at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia, are building the smallest search and rescue team. 6 PhD scholar Lachlan Fitzgerald and Dr Thang Vo-Doan with two of the beetles Credit: SWNS 6 A darkling beetle equipped with a removeable microchip backpack Credit: SWNS 6 Scientists believe it could cut the time down it takes to find someone in rubble Credit: SWNS They say the plan could cut the time it takes to find someone trapped under rubble from days to hours. The darkling beetles (Zophobas morio) can be controlled with video game controllers if they are fitted with the chips, The chips shock the beetles into moving in a certain direction by stimulating the insect's antenna or hardened forewings known as elytrons. So far, they've been able to move the cyborg bugs side-to-side and up vertical walls. Read more on science Dr Vo-Doan said: "Beetles possess many natural gifts that make them the masters of climbing and manoeuvring in small, complex spaces such as dense rubble, that are difficult for robots to navigate. "Our work harnesses these gifts and adds programmable controls that allow for precise directional guidance, without affecting the lifespan of the beetle." The science is being done by a team of researchers at the Biorobotics lab in UQ's School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, who hope to test the technology in a live situation within five years. Fitzgerald said: "While robots at this scale have made strides in locomotion, the transition from horizontal surfaces to walls remains a formidable challenge for them. Most read in Science "This difficulty arises from the need for active foot pads, soft environmental interactions, and sophisticated sensing capabilities - all things that our cyborg insects possess naturally that allows them to access any area that is required in a disaster environment." Dr Vo-Doan said while a tethered power supply had been used for the climbing test, the beetles were able to climb with a battery equivalent to its own body weight. Watch as Frankenstein cyborg cockroaches fitted with backpacks come to life to form army of search & rescue bugs The team is next working on cameras and a compact and efficient power system to enhance the beetle's mobility and versatility. Dr Vo-Doan said: "If people have been trapped under an extensive amount of rubble, you want to be able to find them as quickly as possible and start planning how to get them out. "We hope to produce a tool that can easily move through chaotic environments to pinpoint a person's exact location, provide clues to any injuries, and give rescuers a picture of what needs to be done to free them". The cyborgs also use a minimal amount of power on each run compared with miniaturised robots that are currently being modelled. 6 The boffins hope to be able to test the beetles in a real life situation in five years Credit: SWNS 6 Having the backpack attached doesn't lower the beetle's life expectancy Credit: SWNS It's not the first time that beetles have been fitted with backpacks and used for search and rescue. Scientists in China Boffins have also created a Stuck on the back of real-life Madagascan hissing cockroaches, the chip sits on a panel that uses an infrared camera and a series of sensors to collect and send data to first responders. The original idea for the hero insects comes from Professor Hirotaka Sato. He witnessed the devastation caused by the 2011 Japanese earthquake first-hand and quickly realised there needed to be a faster and more effective way of finding survivors and victims. He said: 'Our motivation is purely to use this technology for search and rescue. To save people from disaster.' 6 Scientists in Singapore have created a set of cyborg cockroaches with robot brains on their backs
New York Post
01-07-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Creepy, futuristic ‘cyborg' beetles may help rescue victims of natural disasters, scientists say
It's a different kind of 'Help' by the Beetles. Between bomb-detecting rats and medical-grade maggots, it's clear that one person's pest is another's savior. The latest member of this unlikely league of heroes is a remote-controlled beetle that could potentially be used to rescue victims of natural disasters, per a spine-tingling study published in 'Advanced Science.' 'It [the beetle] could be used in search-and-rescue missions as it could go into small nooks and crevices in a collapsed building to locate injured survivors,' said Dr. Thang Vo-Doan, a researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia who spearheaded the research, reported. Advertisement The team's revolutionary rescue project involves outfitting darkling beetles with removable backpacks that control the insect's antenna and forewings through the use of electrodes. 4 One of the cyborg bugs. 'If people have been trapped under an extensive amount of rubble, you want to be able to find them as quickly as possible and start planning how to get them out,' said Dr. Thang Vo-Doan. University of Queensland These cybernetically-enhanced insects are then piloted remotely using video game controllers so they can access survivors following a mine or building collapse. Advertisement Why deploy one of the world's oldest lifeforms instead of seemingly more advanced bots? Vo-Doan explained, 'Beetles possess many natural gifts that make them the masters of climbing and maneuvering in small, complex spaces such as dense rubble, that are difficult for robots to navigate.' 'Our work harnesses these gifts and adds programmable controls that allow for precise directional guidance, without affecting the lifespan of the beetle,' he added. 4 Unlike robots, the rescue beetles can navigate walls. University of Queensland In a video demonstration, these fun-size first responders can be seen navigating an obstacle course by moving side to side and going over walls like miniature marines — capabilities that elude their synthetic counterparts. Advertisement 4 Rescue teams continue efforts to locate and recover individuals trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 30, 2025. Varit Soponpis/NurPhoto/Shutterstock The rescue beetles are strong for their size, able to climb while toting a battery that weighs as much as their own body. The team is currently tweaking the design so the tiny recon artists can be outfitted with cameras and a power system that will enhance their ability to navigate rubble. 4 Dr. Thang Vo-Doan (right) and Research Assistant Lachlan Fitzgerald preside over their rescue beetle project. University of Queensland With their maneuverability, sensory capabilities and strength, these beetles could reduce the time it takes to locate disaster survivors to mere hours instead of days. Advertisement 'If people have been trapped under an extensive amount of rubble, you want to be able to find them as quickly as possible and start planning how to get them out,' said Vo-Doan. He said he hoped the beetles would be able to 'easily move through chaotic environments to pinpoint a person's exact location, provide clues to any injuries, and give rescuers a picture of what needs to be done to free them.' Researchers hope to test the tech in a real-life rescue situation within five years. This is not the first time scientists have trialed using cyborg bugs as emergency responders. In 2014, researchers at North Carolina State University turned common cockroaches into remote-controlled biobots – bionic rescuers that can locate people trapped in rubble by using microphones. 'The goal is to use the biobots with high-resolution microphones to differentiate between sounds that matter – like people calling for help – from sounds that don't matter, like a leaking pipe,' said Alper Bozkurt, an assistant professor at the university.
