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Cyborg Cockroach Sparks Ethics Debate

Posted by Unknown on from the lightly-sand-the-carapace dept.

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.

6 of 512 comments (clear)

  1. Cruel by Nerdfest · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

    1. Re:Cruel by Richy_T · · Score: 5, Funny

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

  2. Makes sense by WGFCrafty · · Score: 5, Funny

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

  3. Too buggy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I tried the app, but it was too buggy.

  4. No way, totally wrong by russotto · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.
     

  5. Re:Missing the reality of what kids do to insects by Any+Web+Loco · · Score: 5, Funny

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

    Just saying...