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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Photo: Robo-Roaches Can Control Insect Groups


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Tiny robots dressed in cockroach-scented paper were accepted into groups of real roaches (top) in a laboratory experiment.

The robots were so convincing, they were able to influence bug behavior even when their actions ran contrary to regular cockroach rules, a new study says. For example, when the robots lingered beneath a less desirable shelter that was more brightly lit, the dark-dwelling cockroaches did too (bottom).

Photographs courtesy ULB-EPFL