Cyborg Cockroach Sparks Ethics Debate

sciencehabit writes "A do-it-yourself neuroscience experiment that allows students to create their own 'cyborg' insects is sparking controversy amongst scienitsts and ethicists. RoboRoach #12 is a real cockroach that a company called BackyardBrains ships to school students. The students fit the insect with a tiny backpack, which contains electrodes that feed into its antennae and receive signals by remote control — via the Bluetooth signals emitted by smartphones. A simple swipe of an iPhone can turn the insect left or right. Though some scientists say the small cyborg is a good educational tool, others say it's turning kids into psychopaths." Fitting the backpack requires poking a hole in the roach's thorax and clipping its antennae to insert electrodes.

Comments

Cruel

[Nerdfest]

I completely agree. It's completely unacceptable to force innocent students to used something as restricted and crippled as iOS. For once could someone actually think of the children.

Re:Cruel

[Richy_T]

Forget psychopaths. It might turn them into... hipsters.

Makes sense

[WGFCrafty]

IPhones have been turning humans into mindless drones for years, now its the insects turn.

Too buggy

[Anonymous Coward]

I tried the app, but it was too buggy.

No way, totally wrong

[russotto]

It's not ethical to force an animal to move left and right by attaching electrodes to its head. Not at all. The ethical way is to put a metal bar in its mouth and pull on THAT to force it to move left and right.
 

Re:Missing the reality of what kids do to insects

[Any Web Loco]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruelty_to_animals#Psychological_disorders

Just saying...

Re:Cockroach rights?

[K. S. Kyosuke]

So roaches live everywhere on Earth except suburban London? Interesting.

Even cockroaches have standards.