What sounds more terrifying than a half-cockroach, half-robot cyborg? Definitely one that can also breathe underwater. That technology has just been developed by researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, in collaboration with Waseda University in Japan. They created a diving suit for cyborg cockroaches capable of continuously supplying oxygen to the insect, transforming it into a tiny amphibious bio-hybrid robot.

The goal is not to create a new species of super-insects, but to develop a tool for search-and-rescue operations in environments where conventional machines still face enormous difficulties. First of all, it is worth clarifying that, unlike a fully mechanical robot, a cyborg cockroach remains a living insect.

The researchers simply attach a small electronic platform to its body, equipped with microcontrollers, a battery, and a wireless communication system. Small electrodes placed on the antennae send low-intensity electrical impulses capable of influencing the insect's natural behavior; since cockroaches instinctively veer away when an antenna touches an obstacle, stimulating just one side causes them to change direction, allowing them to be remotely guided.

This concept may seem strange, but it offers advantages that engineering has yet to replicate in robots of similar size; while a fully mechanical microrobot requires motors, gears, and relatively heavy batteries, the cockroach uses its own muscles to walk, climb walls, squeeze through extremely narrow spaces, and withstand impacts that would easily destroy conventional electronic equipment.

Since the integrated electronics consume very little energy, these systems can operate for days or even weeks. A new breakthrough further expands these capabilities, as researchers replaced the traditional rigid backpack with a flexible, waterproof suit that moves naturally with the insect. Integrated into this suit is a small oxygen-generating system consisting of a 3D-printed chamber, a sponge coated with manganese dioxide, and a small amount of diluted hydrogen peroxide.

When the chemical reaction occurs, the peroxide decomposes into water and oxygen; this gas is channeled through tiny silicone tubes directly to the cockroach's spiracles—the small openings responsible for the insect's respiration—effectively turning the suit into a miniature oxygen tank. Instead of storing compressed gas, it continuously produces oxygen as the reaction proceeds, thereby reducing weight and size. During laboratory tests, the cockroaches remained active for up to three hours in fully submerged environments or in conditions with extremely low oxygen levels, while retaining virtually all of their mobility.