Russian scientists create a listening device ‘bug’ that looks and moves like a living cockroach

Scientists at a Russian university in Kaliningrad have created a covert listening device—a bug—that literally resembles a living cockroach. The invention not only looks like the insect, but it is also designed to move and behave like one.

Developers modeled the device on the Central American Giant Cave Cockroach, Blaberus giganteus. It is less than 10 centimeters long and can travel 30 centimeters in a second, and carries a miniature camera.

According to RIA Novosti, production on the "bug" lasted roughly seven months and included careful study of real, living cockroaches. The device has gone through 20 different versions.

RIA Novosti A robot-scout disguised as a cockroach has been created in Kaliningrad.

The device's creators claim that this is the first covert listening device to capture accurately and believably the movements and behavior of a living insect. The machine was built using an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer—all gadgets found inside every smart phone around the world today. The bug's current battery life is just 20 minutes, but scientists say they hope to expand this soon.