2UE Cockroach

That's right, Mike.
It sounds on first hearing like science's most useless and disgusting invention - a robotic cockroach, capable of scuttling across the floor just like the real thing.
But the coalition of European scientists who have developed the insbot - short for insect robot- say it could lead to better pest control and even better farming techniques down the track.
A group of researchers at universities in Belgium, France and Swizerland began work on the project in 2002.
It's part of the developing field of biomimetics where mankind borrows from designs in nature to make sophisticated electronics and engineering.
The European researchers first studied the behaviour of real cockroaches. They found they exhibited collective intelligence, that is the behaviour of the group was influenced by the actions and interactions single individuals. They also found the cockies had a dislike of light - they'd much rather be scuttling around under the fridge or inside a garbage bin than racing across the bright kitchen floor.
The next step was to construct the robot out of the latest electronics. Each roachbot is about the size of a matchbox and looks like a little sandwich of electronics rather than a brown and shelly real cockroach. Inside the sandwich is a series of microprocessors - small computers - which control behaviour, a camera to detect what's around and distance sensors to see how close it is. The whole package rolls on tiny wheels and can go a couple of metres a second. It's also coated in pheromones, natural hormones that cockies use to identify each other.
When scientists let it loose in a cockie community they found that cockroaches accepted it as one of their own. It doesn't look much like them but smelled right and acted like one of the crowd. Once inside the communities the robots were able to influence roach behaviour. In one experiment four roachbots were released among 12 real cockroaches and managed to convince the cockies to leave the darkness they crave and enter a bright area. The robots were truly the kings of the cockroaches.
It doesn't sound like much of an achievement but it could have far reaching applications.
Firstly imagine how effective a cockroach trap would be if a roachbot was involved. You could just send it out and it would lure the real cockies in for the chop.
Then imagine if this type of technology could be applied to other areas where me manage insects and animals.
A beebot could be used to move behives from location to location. All you would need would be a robot bee coated with queen bee pheromones.
A fishbot could be released into the ocean and lead schools of tuna into the nets of fishermen.
A chickenbot could be used to move chooks to feeding areas.
A sheepbot could replace cattledogs.
It's exciting stuff and we're going to hear a lot more about it in the years to come.
Let's just hope we don't see a spider bot. Now that's something I'd like to squash.
Other advances in biomimetics, copying nature to make machines better include the snakebot. This has been developed in the United States as a tool for rescuing the victims of earthquakes and building collapses. The snake shaped device can crawl through the rubble with a self contained camera, getting to places human rescuers can't.
Closer to home researchers at the University of Sydney researchers have developed wave motion machines based on the shape of a fish tail and of seaweed. By mimicking nature's designs it's hoped that wear and tear can be reduced.