Underwater Suit-Wearing Cyborg Insect Capable of Hours-Long Diving and Terra-Aqua Travel
The fundamental operational range of cyborg insects, which are hybrid robots that combine a living insect with an electronic controller, is inherently restricted to the host's natural environment. To extend their operational range, we developed a wearable diving suit for terrestrial insects. The suit integrates a miniaturised oxygen generation module with a flexible waterproof shell, enabling continuous oxygen supply and isolation from surrounding water. By fitting a cockroach, which is a terrestrial species, into this diving suit, we allowed it to survive and operate in oxygen-deprived environments such as underwater, transforming it into an amphibious cyborg robot capable of operation across land and water. The suit sustained respiration and locomotion for up to 3 h underwater, establishing amphibious cyborg insects that combine biological adaptability with engineered protection for prolonged exploration in extreme, confined environments.
Authors
- Kewei Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2746-9998)
- Shinjiro Umezu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2146-5344)
- Hirotaka Sato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4634-1639)
- Zifu Fan
- Wei Wan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2522-6703)
- Kazuki Kai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6470-3782)
- Duc Long Le
- Thu Ha TRAN
- Mingyu HAO
Institutions
- Waseda University (JP)
- Nanyang Technological University (SG)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-06-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74235-1
- Primary Topic
- Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00