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RoboRoach: Nueroscience For Everyone NSBE: SNEATP PROPRIETARY National Society of Black Engineers CONTENT •Company •Project •Technical Specs •Application •Discussion 2 BACKYARD BRAINS Nueroscience Home Projects Founders: Greg Gage and Tim Marzullo Background: 20% of the world will have neurological disorder. No cure. Goal: To spur a “neuro-revolution” by inspiring more students to join the field Method: Teach students about neuroscience via hands own projects. 3 PROJECT OVERVIEW RoboRoach for students as young as 10 yrs old •The RoboRoach is an educational DIY cockroach cyborg kit. •Purchase Kit for $99 •Live Cockroaches shipped •Learn to use Microeletronic hardware and surgical kits •Circuit boards and wireless receivers/ transmitters •Creates Electrical impulses that control roach •Can be controlled by phone 4 PROJECT OVERVIEW RoboRoach for students as young as 10 yrs old Kingdom Animalia, phylum Anthropoda, class Insecta, order Blattodea, family Blaberidae, genus Blaberus, and species Discoidalis. •Discoid cockroaches. •Available in the U.S, bred as feeder insects for pet reptiles and amphibians. •Slower than native US Cockroaches have neurons similar to humans •1 million neurons (roaches) vs 100 billion (humans) •Decentralized nervous system, with ganglia (small brains) running down its body. •“Bigger” ganglion in its head, which can be considered a brain. 5 ROBOROACH KIT Technical Specs 1x Free iOS or Android 4.3+ application for remote control 1x Bluetooth Roboroach backpack control unit 1x 1632 RoboRoach Battery 3x Electrode Sets (to implant 3 Roaches) 6 QUICK PREP CHECKLIST Directed use Ice Water to anesthetize roach •Douse the insect in ice water to “anesthetize” it •Sand a patch of shell •Helps superglue and electrodes stick •Insert a groundwire into the insect’s thorax •Trim the insect’s antennae •Insert silver electrodes 7 STEPS IN PRETTY PICTURES Hes injured; Give him a robotic body stat! 8 HOW IT WORKS Electrical spikes stimulate sensory impulses 9 VIDEO EXAMPLES RoboRoach in Action Phone Control http://youtu.be/ZwvG69ICnps Walk the Line http://youtu.be/I6xC-gieGSI Surgery http://youtu.be/EsrorUT_Svc 10 APPLICATIONS Biobots for Topography Researchers from North Carolina State University •Developed software to map unknown environments •Based on the movement of a swarm of insect cyborgs or “biobots • GPS Algorithm -Collapsed buildings - Caves 11 APPLICATIONS Radio active Threats Public safety officials •Location of radioactive or chemical threats •Provide relevant sensors •Improved assessment of area •Expedited analysis •Random Movements in favor 12 ADDTL EXAMPLES Different Swarms •Nervous system of a moth [watch video]. •Control of the flight of a giant beetle [watch video] •Microstimulation of cockroach sensory nerves to develop a “Kinetic-base System for Autonomous Control of Terrestrial Insect Biobots” [watch video]. 13 ETHICAL CONCERNS What do you think? Criticism: “Animal Experiments have no place in educational demonstrations.” Criticism: “There are better ways of teaching neuroscience that do not use animals.“ Criticism: “You are causing pain in the animals and that is inhumane." Criticism: “You are objectifying the cockroach." Criticism: This enables and encourages kids to harm animals. 14