Indonesian Students Win Gold with “Cyborg Cockroach” Innovation in Malaysia
- 30 Apr 2026 20:49 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- The Rotect team won a gold medal at the 2026 Malaysia Technology Expo for their "ROACH-DETECT" system.
- This biohybrid innovation uses Madagascar hissing cockroaches equipped with microcontrollers to navigate disaster ruins and detect victims.
- The seven-member engineering team aims to refine the technology for real-world humanitarian applications.
RRI.CO.ID, Semarang - A team of engineering students from Semarang Diponegoro University has captured international attention after winning the Gold Medal at the Asia Youth Innovation Awards during the Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2026 with their groundbreaking “cyborg cockroach” project.
The team, known as Rotect, developed a biohybrid system using the Madagascar hissing cockroach as a natural mobility platform.
By equipping the insect with an electronic backpack powered by a microcontroller, the cockroach can be guided through disaster ruins to detect victims using human body heat patterns. The data is then transmitted to a monitoring site accessible to search-and-rescue teams.
“Unlike sniffer dogs, which cannot enter very narrow spaces, cockroaches offer a smaller, more agile solution for locating victims in collapsed structures,” explained team member Muhammad Faizul Kirom on Thursday, April 30, 2026, as quoted by Antara.
He emphasized that the assembly process follows international safety standards, with the electronic module enabling both navigation and detection functions.
The innovation, titled ROACH-DETECT: Cyborg Cockroach-Based System for Victim Detection in Disaster Ruins Using Edge Computing for SAR Operations, was born out of concern for disaster victims who are often difficult to reach.
The team consists of seven students: Muhammad Faizul Kirom, Mega Adinda Ramadhani, Helmi Yusuf, Verrill Varian Jaya Kusuma, Septhian Kallolangi, Hasna Fadhilah Aulia, and Nicholas David Marsen.
Competing against hundreds of teams from dozens of countries at MTE, their project stood out to the judges. “We are very grateful to win the Gold Award, especially given the tough competition. It was beyond our expectations,” Kirom said.
The students hope their innovation will move beyond competitions and be refined for real-world use. “Our goal is not just to stop at winning awards, but to continue developing this system so it can truly benefit society,” Kirom concluded. ***
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