Why are researchers making remote-controlled bugs? Click investigates.

From Click

Cockroaches' astonishing survival skills
make them the bane of many households
– but perhaps we've under-appreciated
these tough little insect warriors.
In the above video, our colleagues at
Click explore a surprising new initiative
– to send remote-controlled, cyborg
cockroaches into disaster zones. The
scientists attach a small electronic chip
to the insect's brain, using minuscule
acupuncture needles. (The researchers
assured Click that the cockroaches suffer
no pain – they are just a little startled by
the operation.) The chip can then
stimulate the nerves involved in
movement, allowing the researchers to
control the cockroach over a wireless
connection.
In this way, an army of remote-
controlled insects could scout out
regions that would be difficult for
humans to reach – such as nuclear
disaster zones, or the rubble after an
earthquake.