Struggling with Insect Anesthesia? Perfect Your RoboRoach Surgery Skills!

At Backyard Brains, they bring you an exciting project: the RoboRoach. This innovative kit allows you to explore the fascinating intersection of biology and technology. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to perform RoboRoach surgery and create your very own cyborg cockroach.

Step 1: Building Your Electrodes

Materials Needed:
- Header connectors (can be bought from electronics stores)

RoboRoach Surgery Electronic Header — Electronics Header

Fine silver wire (0.003 inches in diameter) from A-M Systems
Standard solder with 2% silver content

Soldering iron

RoboRoach Surgery Soldering Iron — Soldering Iron

Lighter
Sandpaper

Creating Connectors:
- Cut the header into three-connector segments.
- Carefully sand each side of the header to make it gritty. This will help the glue adhere better.
Preparing the Silver Wires:
- Cut three pieces of silver wire, each approximately 1 to 1 1/4 inches in length.
- Use a lighter to burn off about 1/8th inch of the Teflon insulation on both ends of each wire segment. Be careful not to melt the silver.
Soldering:
- Form a loop with each silver wire.
- Lay the three wires across the three connector segments.
- Use a soldering iron to solder the wires to the connectors, ensuring each connection is distinct and there are no shorts.

Step 2: Preparing the Cockroach

Anesthetizing the Cockroach:
- Select the largest cockroach from your colony.
- Place the cockroach in ice water to serve as an anesthetic. After a few minutes, the cockroach will stop moving.
Preparing the Pronotum:
- Sand the pronotum to remove the slippery wax coating, making it easier to glue.
Attaching the Connector:
- Use Loctite Super Glue Control Gel to apply glue to the pronotum.
- Carefully place the connector onto the cockroach with the solder points facing the anterior end. The connection will be strong enough within one to two minutes.

Step 3: Inserting the Ground Wire

Preparing the Thorax:
- Splay one of the cockroach’s wings and secure it with silly putty.
- Wipe off any excess water from the thorax with a Q-tip.
- Lightly sand the thorax to remove the waxy coating.
- Poke a small hole in the thorax with a needle.
Inserting and Securing the Wire:
- Carefully insert the leftmost wire into the hole you made in the thorax. This step requires precision as the wire can easily crumple.
- Apply a small piece of super glue to the wire just above the insertion point.
- Lower the wire about one to three millimeters below the surface so that it contacts the saline in the body.
- Apply more super glue to secure the wire.

Step 4: Inserting the Antenna-Stimulating Wires

Preparing the Antennae:
- Splay the antenna with forceps and cut it down to 1/8th to 1/4 inch in length.
- Insert the middle wire into the antenna, parking it just inside without pushing it all the way in.
- Apply super glue to the wire just above where it is inserted.
- Insert the wire approximately two to four millimeters into the antenna and apply more super glue to secure it.
Repeating the Process:
- Repeat the process for the remaining antenna and wire.

Step 5: Securing and Testing

Securing Excess Wires:
- Pull back all the wires into a loop on top of the connector.
- Use hot glue to hold the excess wires in place. Coat the end of your forceps with baking soda to prevent the hot glue from sticking to them.
Testing the Connections:
- Use a SpikerBox to record neural responses in the antennae to ensure the surgery was successful.
- Plug in your adapter and micro clips to the ground and left antenna, then turn on the SpikerBox. Listen for the semi-random popping sounds, which indicate neural activity.

Step 6: Recovery and Experimentation

Recovery:
- Place the cockroach in a warm environment to recover faster. It typically takes about 30 minutes in warm water or overnight in its housing.
Testing the RoboRoach:
- Turn on the RoboRoach circuit and ensure the transmitter is on the B-channel.
- Test the left and right stimulation buttons to observe the cockroach’s responses.
Experimentation:
- Place the RoboRoach on the floor and stimulate the left and right sides. Observe behaviors, duration, learning, and adaptation.
After Experimentation:
- Place the cockroach back in ice water anesthesia.
- Carefully remove the connector and peel it off.
- Return the cockroach to its housing to rest and eat.

Conclusion

With these detailed instructions, you’re now equipped to perform RoboRoach surgery and conduct your own experiments. Purchase a RoboRoach Prototyping Kit at backyardbrains.com, and explore the exciting world of neuroscience. We’d love to hear your suggestions and learn about your discoveries. Backyard Brains: Neuroscience for everyone!