Speculative Species

In Speculative Evolution, we envisioned how species could be further developed to increase their resilience based on scientific publications on synthetic biology, genetic engineering and robotics, and formulated text prompts to create AI-generated images using DALL-E. As a result, each speculative species in the environment has a backstory rooted in real-life scenarios.
 
 


Remote-controlled Cockroache
Remote-controlled Cockroaches
2022equipped with a tiny wireless control module, powered by a rechargeable battery attached to a solar cell
Laboratory research by RIKEN, 2022
2054optimized for long distance flights, equipped with advanced surveillance technologies

Lineage of the 78 species from a total of 117

    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-1-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-1-1)
    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-2)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-2-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-2-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-2-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-2-2)
    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-22Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-22)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-22-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-22-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-22-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-22-2)
    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-3Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-3)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-3-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-3-1)
    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-4Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-4)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-4-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-4-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-4-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Stuttgart, Germany (2-4-2)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-4-3Samsung G955F, Android 9, Berlin, Germany (2-4-3)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-4-4Lenovo TB, Android 10, Guasave, Mexico (2-4-4)
    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-5)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-5-1)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-1-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-5-1-1)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-1-1-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-5-1-1-1)
            • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-1-1-1-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-5-1-1-1-1)
              • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-1-1-1-1-1, Android 14, Porto, Portugal (2-5-1-1-1-1-1)
                • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-1-1-1-1-1-1Samsung T505, Android 11, Araranguá, Brazil (2-5-1-1-1-1-1-1)
                  • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-1-1-1-1-1-1-1Samsung T505, Android 11, Araranguá, Brazil (2-5-1-1-1-1-1-1-1)
                    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1, Android 11, Sobral, Brazil (2-5-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1)
                      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, , China (2-5-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Stuttgart, Germany (2-5-2)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-3Samsung G955F, Android 9, Berlin, Germany (2-5-3)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-5-3-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Berlin, Germany (2-5-3-1)
    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-6Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-6)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-6-1Samsung G950F, Android 9, São Paulo, Brazil (2-6-1)
    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7Samsung G955F, Android 9, Zurich, Switzerland (2-7)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Berlin, Germany (2-7-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Berlin, Germany (2-7-2)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-2-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, , China (2-7-2-1)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-2-1-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, Basel, Switzerland (2-7-2-1-1)
            • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-2-1-1-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, Basel, Switzerland (2-7-2-1-1-1)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-2-2Samsung G975F, Android 12, Leipzig, Germany (2-7-2-2)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-2-3Samsung G955U, Android 9, , China (2-7-2-3)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-3Samsung G950F, Android 9, São Paulo, Brazil (2-7-3)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-4Samsung G955U, Android 9, , China (2-7-4)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-4-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, , China (2-7-4-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-5Samsung G955U, Android 9, Basel, Switzerland (2-7-5)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-5-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, Xi'an, China (2-7-5-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-6Samsung G955U, Android 9, Basel, Switzerland (2-7-6)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-7Samsung G955U, Android 9, , China (2-7-7)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-7-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-7-1)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-7-1-1Samsung X200, Android 14, New Bedford, United States (2-7-7-1-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8Samsung A356E, Android 14, Santiago, Chile (2-7-8)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-1)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-1-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, Xi'an, China (2-7-8-1-1)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-2)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-3Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-3)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-3-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-3-1)
            • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-3-1-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-3-1-1)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-3-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-3-2)
            • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-3-2-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-3-2-1)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-4Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-4)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-5Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-5)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-5-1Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-5-1)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-6Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-6)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-6-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, Xi'an, China (2-7-8-6-1)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-6-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-6-2)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-8-6-3Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-6-3)
            • Remote-controlled CockroacheSamsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-8-6-3)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-7-9Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-7-9)
    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-8, Android 11, , Italy (2-8)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-8-1Samsung G950F, Android 9, São Paulo, Brazil (2-8-1)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-8-2Samsung G955U, Android 9, , China (2-8-2)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-8-2-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, Basel, Switzerland (2-8-2-1)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-8-2-1-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, , China (2-8-2-1-1)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-8-2-2Samsung G986U1, Android 13, Monterrey, Mexico (2-8-2-2)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-8-3Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-8-3)
    • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-9Samsung G955F, Android 9, Berlin, Germany (2-9)
      • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-9-1Samsung A235F, Android 14, Tver, Russia (2-9-1)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-9-1-1Huawei JNY, Android 10, Johannesburg, South Africa (2-9-1-1)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-9-1-1-1Samsung G955U, Android 9, Xi'an, China (2-9-1-1-1)
          • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-9-1-1-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-9-1-1-2)
        • Remote-controlled Cockroache, Species 2-9-1-2Samsung G955F, Android 9, Lucerne, Switzerland (2-9-1-2)

Integration of body-mounted ultrasoft organic solar cell on cyborg insects with intact mobility

Kakei, Y., Katayama, S., Lee, S. et al. npj Flex Electron 6, 78 (2022)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-022-00207-2

Abstract

Cyborg insects have been proposed for applications such as urban search and rescue. Body-mounted energy-harvesting devices are critical for expanding the range of activity and functionality of cyborg insects. However, their power outputs are limited to less than 1 mW, which is considerably lower than those required for wireless locomotion control. The area and load of the energy harvesting device considerably impair the mobility of tiny robots. Here, we describe the integration of an ultrasoft organic solar cell module on cyborg insects that preserves their motion abilities. Our quantified system design strategy, developed using a combination of ultrathin film electronics and an adhesive–nonadhesive interleaving structure to perform basic insect motion, successfully achieved the fundamental locomotion of traversing and self-righting. The body-mounted ultrathin organic solar cell module achieves a power output of 17.2 mW. We demonstrate its feasibility by displaying the recharging wireless locomotion control of cyborg insects.
  1. The conventional way to implant an electrode on the antenna. The antenna should be cut before the conductor wire implantation as cutting and insertion lead to irreversible damage to the insect. The conductor silver wire was inserted on the antenna wound.
  2. An intact insect (Madagascar Hissing Cockroach) was used to build up the cyborg insect.
  3. Non-invasive electrode for the antenna. A 3D-printed fastener was used to tighten the contact between the antenna surface and the conductor (gold nanofilm and PIL gel) so that the conduct of electrical stimulation was stable and secured. Then, PIL gel was applied between the antennae and the gold nanofilm.
  4. The insect’s antenna surface was rough and uneven, while the proposed non-invasive electrode was conformable and flexible, which could come into contact firmly with the target surface of the antenna.
  5. The front and back view cyborg insect with non-invasive electrodes attached to the antennae and abdomen.
  6. Antenna status before/after attaching and after removing the non-invasive electrodes. The antenna’s intactness was preserved, indicating no damage to the antenna.
  7. A non-invasive electrode is located on the insect’s abdomen. For the non-invasive electrode on the insect’s abdomen, PIL glue was firstly filled in the inter-space between two abdominal segments of the insect, and after a silver wire with a circular tip was inserted into the PIL gel, UV light was used for about 100 s for in-situ polymerisation. The silver wire’s circular tip was to avoid injuries to insect skin. To secure the silver wire inside the PIL gel and to avoid the relative displacement of the silver wire from the insect’s body, tape was used to fix the silver wire on the abdominal segment of the insect.
  8. Researchers at RIKEN in Japan have created remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches, equipped with a tiny wireless control module that is powered by a rechargeable battery attached to a solar cell. Credit: RIKEN
Researchers at RIKEN, Japan have created remote controlled cyborg cockroaches, equipped with a tiny wireless control module that is powered by a rechargeable battery attached to a solar cell. Credit: RIKEN