[http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/01/cockroach.jpg](http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/11/cyborg-cockroaches-will-definitely-solve-the-worlds-energy-prob/)
Few things on this planet are more indestructible than the lowly cockroach -- except, of course, a *cyborg* cockroach. That's what researchers at Case Western Reserve University are looking to create, and they're a lot closer than you may think. In fact, chemistry professor Daniel Scherson has found a way to harvest energy from the chemicals swimming within these insidious insects, meaning that they may soon be able to create robot cockroaches with a more reliable power source. To do this, Scherson and his team incorporated enzymes capable of converting a cockroach's food intake into electrons, which can then be funneled through a fuel cell to generate electricity. Unlike [similar developments](http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/darpa-harvests-energy-from-cyborg-beetles-to-keep-them-brainwash/), Scherson's technique doesn't rely on an external source like light, movement or batteries. All you need is a cockroach and a steady food supply -- basically, a college dorm room.
[Image courtesy of [The Life Files](http://www.thelifefiles.com/2011/10/16/would-you-eat-a-cockroach-for-some-tickets-to-six-flags-amusement-park/)]
Cyborg cockroaches inch closer to reality, blame science originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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