[ti:Japanese Researchers Create Remote Control for Cockroaches]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.04]Most of the time, people are not happy to see cockroaches.
[00:04.52]The insect is known around the world as a pest
[00:08.36]– a creature that causes problems for people.
[00:12.44]However, the cockroach is a useful insect for research scientists.
[00:19.00]And they could one day be used
[00:21.72]to help find survivors after major earthquakes.
[00:26.88]Scientists in Japan have been working on a system
[00:31.40]that they can attach to the insects that permits remote control.
[00:37.60]Kenjiro Fukuda leads a team
[00:40.40]at the Thin-Film Device Laboratory at Riken,
[00:43.64]a company that does scientific research.
[00:47.28]The team created a thin solar cell
[00:50.28]they can attach to the body of a cockroach.
[00:53.48]It is thinner than a human hair.
[00:57.04]The cell permits the cockroach to move freely
[01:00.52]but it sends signals to organs that control the insect's legs.
[01:07.16]The scientists believe
[01:08.80]they can control the cockroaches from a long distance.
[01:12.96]This means they will be able to send the insects
[01:16.04]into a disaster area, such as a building destroyed by an earthquake.
[01:22.84]The small insects can get into places that humans
[01:27.08]and even rescue robots cannot reach.
[01:30.68]With the right equipment, they could be used
[01:34.72]to help find survivors stuck under broken pieces of buildings.
[01:40.60]The work advances a project done by scientists in Singapore.
[01:47.32]Fukoda said the problem with rescue robots
[01:51.08]is their batteries run out quickly.
[01:54.04]The insect, however, moves on its own.
[01:57.32]The battery only sends a signal that
[02:00.20]makes the cockroach move, so it lasts much longer.
[02:05.80]"The electricity required is nowhere near as much"
[02:09.12]as what is required for rescue robots, Fukoda said.
[02:14.48]The research team is using hissing cockroaches from Madagascar.
[02:20.16]Those cockroaches are big enough to carry the equipment
[02:25.04]and strong enough to get back on their feet if they fall over.
[02:30.64]Although the research is going well so far,
[02:33.64]the technology is not fully ready for use in the real world.
[02:37.84]For example, in a recent demonstration,
[02:41.84]the scientists sent signals to a cockroach
[02:45.12]that caused it to move to the left.
[02:47.64]However, the cockroach moved in circles
[02:51.48]when they sent a signal telling it to move right.
[02:55.60]The next step is to see if there are small cameras and sensors
[03:00.84]that can be placed on the cockroach's back.
[03:03.72]The team created the first test backpack
[03:07.88]using material purchased
[03:09.84]from an electronics market in Tokyo for only $35.
[03:15.80]Even if the thin solar cell
[03:18.64]is not able to be used in rescue missions,
[03:22.76]Fukoda said there could be a number of future uses.
[03:27.80]For example, the cells could be used in clothing
[03:32.32]to measure a person's health.
[03:35.32]The cells could also be added to an umbrella.
[03:38.44]Used in this way, the cells could help
[03:41.68]generate enough power to charge a mobile phone.
[03:46.48]I'm Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM