International robotics researchers have developed an Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) system that uses a ‘steerable’ live cockroach to trans

A Cockroach With AI-Enabled Search And Rescue Equipment

submited by

Style Pass

2021-06-08 09:30:05

International robotics researchers have developed an Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) system that uses a ‘steerable’ live cockroach to transport a miniaturized machine learning-enabled infrared survivor detection system through otherwise unnavigable disaster scenarios.

The system is a collaboration between research departments in Singapore, China, Germany and the UK. It uses the Madagascar cockroach as a vehicle, and has enough power to run for several hours.

The hybrid rescue system features a machine learning model for human detection that was trained on infrared (IR) images, and powers the mobile IR detection system, which can operate autonomously as necessary, reporting found survivors back to a base operating station.

The machine learning framework is required to operate on extraordinarily slim resources: only 191.8kB of static RAM and 1988kB of Flash memory are left for the system from the general power requirements for the device, which must also provide the electrical stimulus for the insect.

The three functional blocks of the cockroach’s backpack, pictured above, include wireless stimulation, a primary controller unit and peripheral components, with the IR-derived machine learning system and the navigation functionality embedded into the primary controller unit. The rig’s circuit has been split into several components in order to better fit the geometry of the cockroach.