Motion control in the Madagascar hissing cockroach walking through electrical stimulation of cerci

• Main Author: Chearn, Dennis Yao Xiang
• Other Authors: Hirotaka Sato
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/75791
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Previous studies have proved that it is possible to control, to a certain extent, the movement and direction of certain insects by stimulating their external receptors via electro-stimulation. This report focuses on the Madagascan Hissing Cockroach (MHC). We attempt to achieve motion control over the MHC by means of electrical stimulation from its cerci to various locations in the abdomen via electrode wires. A literature review of the natural escape response of the cockroach is conducted in order to learn more about the role of the cerci in dictating the motion response of the cockroach to wind puffs. Tests will then be conducted on MHC in a controlled lab environment to determine the effectiveness of stimulating the cockroach by delivering electrical stimuli of varying voltages from the cerci to different locations segments of the abdomen. The results will be recorded and compared to determine which set of parameters will produce the best rate of motion response in the cockroach.