---
title: "Cyborg cockroaches fitted with 3D printed underwater suits"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/cyborg-cockroaches-fitted-with-3d-printed-underwater-suits/
date: 2026-07-06
modified: 2026-07-06
lang: en
author: "Tess Boissonneault"
description: "A team of researchers from NTU Singapore and Waseda University in Japan have developed a 3D printed diving suit that enables cyborg cockroaches to survive underwater on missions. \"That enables..."
categories:
  - "AM Research"
  - "Robotics"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/cyborg-insects-2-640x426.jpg
word_count: 682
---

# Cyborg cockroaches fitted with 3D printed underwater suits

A team of researchers from NTU Singapore and Waseda University in Japan have developed a 3D printed diving suit that enables cyborg cockroaches to survive underwater on missions. "That enables what?" you might be asking. You read right: cyborg cockroaches, on missions, under water.

If you've never heard of cyborg insects, they are living bugs—such as cockroaches—that have been fitted with miniature electronic controllers that allow control over their movements. They can also be fitted with other small devices, like sensors and cameras, for reconnaissance missions and search and rescue efforts. Developed by NTU Singapore, these [cyborg critters](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60779-1) don't require as much power as miniature robots, since they use the cockroaches' muscles to move efficiently. Their size also means that they are well suited for navigating hard to reach places, such as rubble sites after an earthquake to find survivors.

In developing the cyborg bugs, the researchers realized they needed to figure out how to make them waterproof. Because the cyborg cockroaches rely on the insect's respiratory system, the team effectively needed to make a device that would enable the bugs to breathe underwater or in low-oxygen environments. The result of this work is a 3D printed diving suit designed to deliver oxygen to the insect's respiratory system via its breathing holes for up to three hours.

[![Cyborg cockroaches fitted with 3D printed underwater suits](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/cyborg-insects-1-340x227.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/cyborg-insects-1.jpg)NTU Prof Hirotaka Sato holds a cyborg cockroach with 3D printed suit

As Professor Hirotaka Sato, from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NTU Singapore explained: "Our new insect diving suit works like the oxygen tank used by human divers. It generates oxygen and delivers it directly to the insect’s breathing holes, allowing the cyborg cockroach to survive and move in underwater or low-oxygen environments. This is important because real disaster sites can be challenging after heavy rain or flooding, blocking access routes in the rubble, drains and narrow gaps. By expanding the operating parameters of our cyborg insects to include underwater travel, we believe that they can enhance search and rescue efforts."

The suit for the cyborg cockroaches consists of a 3D printed oxygen-generation tank, silicone oxygen-supply tubes, and a flexible shell. The oxygen tank, 3D printed using a transparent PMMA-type resin, contains a sponge with manganese dioxide that acts as a catalyst for oxygen generation when exposed to diluted hydrogen peroxide. The oxygen created through the reaction between manganese dioxide and hydrogen peroxide is then transported via the silicone tubes to the cockroaches respiratory system.

For the cockroach, the suit is harmless. As the researchers explain, the tubes are attached to the bug's thoracic spiracles (i.e. breathing holes) and can be easily removed. In tests, the suit was fitted onto a cyborg Madagascar hissing cockroach, a relatively large species of flightless cockroach. With the suit, the cyborg insect was able to move naturally while also being able to survive in wet terrain.

"The key engineering challenge was to build a system that was small, light and flexible enough for the insect to wear, while still producing enough oxygen for long-duration underwater movement," added Professor Shinjiro Umezu, from the School of Creative Science and Engineering at Waseda University. "Our approach combines a soft waterproof shell with a simple yet reliable chemical oxygen generator. This allows the insect to retain its natural mobility while being protected from an environment that it cannot normally survive in."

Professor Sato is a pioneer in cyborg insects that has been working for over a decade in the highly niche field. His cyborg insects have already been used in the field. For example, after a massive earthquake in Myanmar this past March, cyborg cockroaches were deployed as part of Operation Lionheart to locate survivors in the rubble. Presently, the diving suit is being tested in simulated disaster environments so that it can be tweaked and improved before deployment. With the underwater capability, the researchers also hope to open up more applications for the cyborg cockroaches, like inspecting pipes, drains, tunnels and other infrastructure that is wet and hard to access. The team is also exploring the use of other insect species, like locusts and beetles.