SINGAPORE – Deep underground, a cockroach scurries through the dark and damp underside of a utility pipe.
The Madagascar hissing cockroach is on a mission to check for corrosion and leakage.
Developed by a team of researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), these insects are part of a new pilot project aimed at revolutionising the maintenance of utility pipelines.
The project, which has been in development since early 2025, is currently being tested in a simulated environment modelled after pipes along the MCE.
Each cockroach is manually fitted with a small plastic “carriage” that houses an on-board processor and an electronic circuit board, which contains an upward-facing colour video camera, an LED lightbulb, and a communication module for location tracking and data transmission.
The Madagascar hissing cockroaches are fitted with a small plastic “carriage” that houses an on-board processor and an electronic circuit board. The insect tows the wheeled cart along the underside of utility pipelines to check for defects.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
On average, an adult Madagascar cockroach is 6cm long – 2cm longer than the local variety.
Electrodes attached to the insects’ antennae and rear deliver weak pulses that simulate the feeling of bumping into an obstacle, allowing researchers to seamlessly steer the cockroaches along a desired path.
The inspection process is automated and relies on a machine-learning algorithm to recognise specific types of pipe defects. When defects are detected, a human operator is alerted.
