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Germany's defense ministry is funding research at SWARM Biotactics to develop hissing cockroaches from Madagascar as reconnaissance drones. The initiative aims to steer cockroaches on missions using electrodes on their antennae, enabling navigation through small spaces.

These cockroaches will be equipped with backpacks containing batteries and chips, controllable via a joystick. The project seeks to enable the bugs to carry cameras, microphones, or Doppler radar for intelligence gathering on the battlefield.

Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, emphasized the need to strengthen military defenses. Similar cyborg cockroach research has been conducted in the US for over a decade.