Cyborg Beetle Achieves Efficient Autonomous Navigation Using Feedback Control

Terrestrial cyborg insects, the fusion between ambulatory insects and mountable electronic controller, have been long discussed as potential complements for artificial insect-scaled legged mobile robots. These cyborgs inherit the living insects' amazing locomotory skills, a flexible but robust body structure, a vast collection of sensory organs, and a top-notch central nervous control system, favoring their maneuvers in complex and unstructured terrains, such as post-disaster environments. However, the development of automatic navigation for these terrestrial cyborg insects has not yet been comprehensively studied. The struggle in selecting stimulation parameters for individual insects challenges the attainment of their reliable and accurate navigations. This study demonstrates the implementation of feedback control to overcome this obstacle and provides a detailed look at the navigation control for terrestrial cyborg insects. Herein, a feedback control system is developed to realize the automatic navigation of a darkling beetle. Using a thrust controller for the beetle's acceleration and a proportional controller for its turning motion, the system alters the stimulation command (i.e., left/right turn, forward motion) and its parameters (i.e., frequency) depending on the beetle's instantaneous status. Adjusting the system's control parameters allows the beetle to be reliably and precisely navigated following a predetermined path with a success rate of ~80% and an accuracy of ~10 mm. Moreover, the system allows altering its performance by regulating the control parameters, providing flexibility to navigation applications of terrestrial cyborg insects.