Engineers in Texas have made a cockroach robot that could collect information from places where humans could not go. According to reports, the new tiny robot could be the most revolting creation of a robot from a lab.

The robot, robo-roach includes a live cockroach with a small computer that has been wired into the insect’s nervous system. After enabling the robot, a human can control the tiny robot. Hong Liang, a researcher at Texas A&M University and lead researcher, said that the insect could carry a tiny video camera, sensors and microphones. According to the researcher, the robo-roach could collect information from places where humans would rather not go.

As per the researcher, the tiny robots could go inside a collapsed building and broken sewers. The robot could provide help to emergency personnel to find and rescue survivors in the aftermath of a disaster.

While providing information about the new robot to the Guardian, Liang said, “Insects can do things a robot cannot. They can go into small places, sense the environment, and if there’s movement, from a predator say, they can escape much better than a system designed by a human”. Liang also added that the engineers wanted to find ways to work with the robots.

According to the engineers who made the tiny robot, they have made small backpacks for the cockroach robots. They have stuck backpacks with paint as glue did not attach to the tiny insects’ waxy backs. Every backpack on the cockroach’s body contained a chip that will be used to send signals into nerves of the insect. As per the engineers, a rechargeable lithium battery has also been installed to power the device. The total weight of the backpack was less than three grams.

While demonstrating how the cockroach walks, the scientists said that the three legs on each side of the insect move in time with each other.