iCockroach

So I haven't contributed anything in awhile. I was going to write something on why it is great that Firefox 2.0 has a built-in spell check, but it was more of a rant on how the Internet has absolutely degraded people's spelling and grammar skillz...yo. I eventually found something worthwhile.

I am currently doing my final year engineering project. I basically have to build a robot that will get through a maze by itself. So recently I was searching the Internet to get ideas on what sort of control other people have used for their robots. Well the most ingenious method I found, or at least the most entertaining, is this:

"Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot" is an experimental mechanism that uses a living Madagascan hissing cockroach atop a modified trackball to control a three-wheeled robot. If the cockroach moves left, the robot moves left. Infrared sensors also provide navigation feedback to the cockroach, striving to create a pseudo-intelligent system with the cockroach as the CPU.
Brilliant. I just need to get one of those guys. More info, photos, and videos on the website here.