(Photo: Eric Whitmire)
There’s been an earthquake and survivors may be trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings. How can you find out? Anyone who goes in is at risk of getting hurt or killed. And disturbing the rubble could lead to further collapses.
That’s where these biobots come in. Dr. Alper Bozkurt of North Carolina State University and his colleagues have developed a means to control the movement of roaches. The roaches carry packs that send them directional signals. They also carry microphones that can detect sounds in confined spaces and transmit them back to rescue workers.
-via Dave Barry
Remember, the world's first "guided" bombs were guided by PIGEONS. But it only took a short while before radio control was ready to go and birds were removed from the loop:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pigeon