Agent Ro Bo Seven to Infiltrate Cockroaches

Researchers from the Free University in Brussels ave developed a miniature robot that can can fool cockroaches into thinking it is one of them.

The Insbot is a matchbot sized robot that has been treated with pheremones to smell like a cockroach. It has infrared sensors to detect obstacles and other cockroaches. A computer model of cockroach behaviour has been used to allow it to behave sufficiently like one to fool the real thing.

What's the point? Well, once it has the "trust" of real cockroaches the Insbot can take a lead and "persuade" them to change their behaviour - for instance, venturing out more into better lit areas where they can be found. A cockroach version of matching and leading.

The researchers hope that this idea can be applied to other animals with emergent group intelligence or pack behaviour.

Oh, and the Insbit is known informally as a "robo-roach" - not a "cockbot".