| Biography | |
|---|---|
 Prof. Hirotaka SATO School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore |
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| Title: CYBORG INSECT: living legged and winged robot with small battery and biofuel cell | |
| Abstract: What? It is the fusion of living insect (platform) and man-made machine & computer (controller). A radio-built-in miniaturized computer is mounted on a living insect and the computer outputs electrical signal (stimulus) to neuromuscular sites (brain, ganglion, neurons, muscles) of the insect in order to induce one’s desired motor actions and behaviors. Cyborg insect is attempted to help and assist rescue and search mission at disaster-stricken area in future as insect hybrid drone. How? We mounted a radio built-in microcontroller (Texas Instruments) and two jumper female connectors (lead to the I/O pins of the microcontroller) onto a custom designed PCB (printed circuit board). The assembly of PCB or ‘backpack’ (the total mass is ~1.3 g) was glued on the thorax of a beetle. Thin metal wire electrodes were inserted into the female connectors and the other ends of the wires were implanted into the optic lobes (massive neural cluster of compound eyes), flight muscles (basalar and wing folding muscles) and leg muscles. The microcontroller was wirelessly commanded by experimentalist to output defined waveform of electrical stimulus pulse trains at defined frequencies on demand. Locomotion Control Initiating flight (take-off) was achieved by applying multi-pulse trains to the optic lobes, whereas flight cessation (landing) was achieved by applying a single long-duration pulse. Applying multi-pulse trains to the brain induced insect descent. A left turn was induced by multi-pulse trains to the right basalar muscle or the left wing folding muscle, and vice versa [1]. Walking gait was modulated by stimulating leg muscles under pre-determined sequences [2]. At the presentation onsite, we will show movies of demonstrations of those flight and walking controls. [1] Sato, H. et al. Deciphering the Role of a Coleopteran Steering Muscle via Free Flight Stimulation. Current Biology, 25, 798-803 (2015). [2] Cao, F., Zhang, C., Choo, H. Y. & Sato, H. Insect - computer hybrid legged robot with user-adjustable speed, step length and walking gait. Journal of Royal Society Interface, 13 (2016). Keyword Insect-computer hybrid robot, Insect locomotion, radio device, electrical stimulation Acknowledgement This work was partly supported by the Singapore Ministry of Education [grant number: MOE2017-T2-2-067]. The authors appreciate Mr. Roger Tan Kay Chia, Mr. Chew Hock See, Mr. Seet Thian Beng, Johan Tjuatja, and shan shilin for their support. | |
| Biography: Group Website https://hirosatontu.wordpress.com/ Email hirosato@ntu.edu.sg 2019– present Provost’s Chair, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore 2018 – present Associate Professor, NTU, Singapore 2011 – 2017 Assistant Professor, NTU, Singapore
Award & Honor Best Paper, Surface Finishing Society Japan 2017 Teacher of the Year, NTU, 2016 The 10 Emerging Technologies (TR10), MIT Technology Review The 50 Best Inventions, TIME magazine
Research Fields Biological Machine, Insect-computer Hybrid Robot, Nano/Micro Fabrication, Biofuel Cell, Electroplating, Electroless Plating, Electrochemical Polishing, Electrocatalysts | |
