Overview

• The microchip backpack interfaces with darkling beetles’ antennae and nervous systems to deliver electrical signals for directional control.
• Researchers steered beetles with video game controllers without overriding their autonomy, ensuring safe navigation in confined, uneven spaces.
• Climbing experiments confirmed beetle mobility on vertical surfaces powered by both tethered supplies and batteries matching the insects’ body weight.
• Collaborative trials with the University of New South Wales and Nanyang Technological University demonstrated beetle agility across diverse disaster-like environments.
• The team plans to deploy camera-equipped beetle swarms into disaster rubble to locate survivors within hours and aims to begin live trials within five years.