Cyborg cockroaches that help in search and rescue missions may have people thinking more kindly about the slimy pest.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed technology to let these biobots capture sound through tiny microphones and discover the source of the sound, Engadget reported.

"In a collapsed building, sound is the best way to find survivors," Dr. Alper Bozkurt, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State, said in a school news release.

The research team has equipped cyborg cockroaches with electronic backpacks that direct their movements, developing two sets of custom backpacks complete with microphones.

The first type uses a single microphone to capture relatively high-resolution sound from all directions that will be transmitted to first responders, while the second biobot can detect the sound's direction using three directional microphones. Algorithms that analyze the sounds picked up by microphone can nudge the biobot in the right direction, a method that was successful in laboratory testing.

Besides detecting the sound's location, the biobots will have to be able to differentiate between types of sounds.

"The goal is to use the biobots with high-resolution microphones to differentiate between sounds that matter--like people calling for help--from sounds that don't matter--like a leaking pipe," said Bozkurt, who is also senior author of two papers on the work. "Once we've identified sounds that matter, we can use the biobots equipped with microphone arrays to zero in on where those sounds are coming from."

The researchers additionally demonstrated a way to keep the bots in a certain area with an "invisible fence" that will stop them from straying too far and also help them stay near light sources to charge their solar-powered backpacks.

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