cockroach world domination

Friday at the gallery Gernet Hertz is showing his autonomous cockroach controlled robot. This should be interesting. I'm curious in how people react to the enslavement of the cockroach - I find it oddly disturbing, despite the intutive hatred humans have for roaches.

Once I ate a 3" waterbug stuffed with chicked at typhoon. They used to have a full insect menu, although apparently it's now limited to ants, grubs and crickets. It was very chitinous.

Anyway, here is the info, I hope you can come.

Garnet Hertz - Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine: Cockroach-controlled Mobile Robot
Machine Project Friday, Nov 19th, 2004 8-10pm.
Artist Talk at 8pm.

Garnet Hertz will be showing his most recent prototype: a cockroach-controlled mobile robot system. The system uses a living Madagascan hissing cockroach atop a modified trackball to control a three-wheeled robot. Infrared sensors also provide navigation feedback to create a semi-intelligent system, with the cockroach as the CPU. This work will be framed within the contexts of intelligence, embodiment, artificial life, the history robotics, and Michael Jackson.

http://www.machineproject.com/garnethertz/index.php