Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40721607›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Cyborg insect factory: automatic assembly for insect-computer hybrid robot via vision-guided robotic arm manipulation of custom bipolar electrodes.

Qifeng Lin, Nghia Vuong, Kewei Song, Phuoc Thanh Tran-Ngoc, Greg Angelo Gonzales Nonato, Hirotaka Sato

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Qifeng LinSchool of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6906-8973
Nghia VuongSchool of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
Kewei SongSchool of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
Phuoc Thanh Tran-NgocSchool of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5298-1846
Greg Angelo Gonzales NonatoSchool of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-6987-2706
Hirotaka SatoSchool of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore. hirosato@ntu.edu.sg.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4634-1639

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Insect-computer hybrid robots offer strong potential for navigating complex terrains. This study identified the intersegmental membrane between the pronotum and mesothorax of the Madagascar hissing cockroach as an effective site for electrical stimulation to control direction and speed. A pair of bipolar electrodes was custom-designed, and an automatic assembly system was developed, integrating a robotic arm, vision-based site detection, and an insect fixation structure. The system achieved assembly in 68 s. Hybrid robots exhibited robust steering (over 70°) and deceleration (68.2% speed reduction) with performance comparable to manually assembled counterparts. Controlled navigation along an S-shaped path confirmed accurate directional control. Furthermore, a multi-agent system of four hybrid robots covered 80.25% of an obstructed terrain in 10 minutes and 31 seconds. This work demonstrates a scalable strategy for automating the fabrication of insect-computer hybrid robots, enabling efficient and reproducible assembly process while maintaining effective locomotion control.

Indexed as

CockroachesRoboticsAnimalsElectric StimulationElectrodesEquipment DesignLocomotion

Identifiers

PMID40721607
PMCPMC12304280

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.