Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) are using Microsoft's Kinect to remotely control cockroaches on autopilot, according to a press release.

The researchers were trying to find out how the roaches responded to remote control. The ultimate goal is to develop a way for roaches, acting on autopilot, to navigate and map out dynamic environments, like collapsed buildings.

The Kinect is a motion-sensing device meant for Microsoft's Xbox video game console. Researchers are using it to track the roach's movement in relation to the path set out for it. The Kinect will also help researchers understand how the roach reacts to the electrical charges given by the remote control device, helping the team fine-tune the steering system.

"Our goal is to be able to guide these roaches as efficiently as possible, and our work with Kinect is helping us do that," said co-author Dr. Alper Bozkurt, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NCSU.

The roaches would be equipped with sensors and microphones in order to detect and find survivors in disaster-stricken areas. Bozkurt also said the team will try and add small speakers to the roach so the rescuers can communicate with the victims.

"We want to build on this program, incorporating mapping and radio frequency techniques that will allow us to use a small group of cockroaches to explore and map disaster sites," Bozkurt said. "The autopilot program would control the roaches, sending them on the most efficient routes to provide rescuers with a comprehensive view of the situation."

The research team had previously developed the technology to remotely control cockroaches, but using the Kinect to track and ultimately enhance steering controls is new.

Wires attached to the roach's antennae send small charges to the insect tricking it into moving in certain directions. A transmitter on its cerci, or abdomen, coaxes the roach into movement.

NCSU undergraduate Eric Whitmire is the lead author on the paper with Bozkurt and Tahmid Latif, a graduate student, serving as co-authors.