PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) protests against a neuroscience startup company for creating cyborg cockroaches called “RoboRoach”. They believe that it is a terrible way to educate people about biological systems. This is by far, worse than other things people do to roaches.
The government-funded Backyard Brains based in Michigan is selling a $99 DIY RoboRoach kit which allows people to use a living cockroach and treat it like a robot by remotely controlling it. The crazy project, backed by no less than the National Institute of Mental Health, aims to provide a sort of an educational kit which rules out its toy-like image.
The kit uses the same concept found in deep brain stimulation. People’s brains are stimulated by implanted electrodes which can help them control symptoms of neurological-based disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Instead of people, the kit uses a live cockroach and instead of implanted electrodes, the latter is attached to the bug’s antennas. These electrodes would then send three-volt electricity bringing electrical shocks to the bug, making it move however the user wanted it to. This is made possible by a toy remote control that comes with the kit although future models are said to be smartphone compatible.
A do-it-yourself cyborg bug kit would normally require placing a live cockroach in ice water as a way to anesthetize it. Most of the bug’s antennas are cut off and electrodes are inserted into the remaining stumps. Using superglue, the insect’s head keeps a little headset in place. Then, there is a small receiver that is snapped into the headset and is placed on the bug’s back to complete the ensemble.
“It’s not okay to torture and mutilate cockroaches,” said PETA attorney Jared Goodman to TIME. “There is no way a child is going to learn anything about neurological diseases or be interested in studying it in the future based on mutilating a cockroach.”
Greg Gage, co-founder of Backyard Brains, defends the project by saying that they’re not breaking any laws. He added that the bug gets a painless operation through the ice-water anesthetization and that it can lead a normal life once the electrodes have worn off.
