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Is Congestion Pricing Working? The MTA’s Revamped Data Team Is Figuring It Out

Is Congestion Pricing Working? The MTA’s Revamped Data Team Is Figuring It Out

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For the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s data and analytics team, January 5, 2025, felt a lot like kismet.

Three and a half years earlier, New York state legislators had passed a law requiring the MTA to release “easily accessible, understandable, and usable” data to the public; by January 2022, MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber officially announced the new team’s formation. Meanwhile, New York City’s controversial congestion pricing program, which tolls cars entering Manhattan’s busiest streets, officially kicked off in 2019 but was chugging through a lengthy setup process, with the transit agency and state fighting lawsuits, politicians, and vocal naysayers along the way.

So when the program finally started in January, the MTA’s data and analytics team had prepared. They could see the moment the tolling started right in the spreadsheets. “The day that it turned on, one field changed from ‘no revenue collection’ to ‘revenue,’” says Andy Kuziemko, the deputy chief of the data and analytics team.

A few days later, the team was pumping out data on vehicle entries into the zone in 10-minute increments, and posting the data on its website, so that New Yorkers themselves could decide whether the congestion program was actually reducing traffic on city streets. The agency has been doing it since. You—yes, you—can view and download the MTA’s data right here.

The online web pages aren’t flashy, but they represent a rare and comprehensive public transit win for open-data advocates, who argue that access to well-maintained public datasets is crucial to government transparency and efficiency.

Since 2022, the MTA’s data and analytics team has grown to 26 full-time employees, who spend their workdays centralizing information that was once scattered through the entire MTA. The agency, to be clear, is big. The nation’s largest, it carries some 5.9 million riders on subways, buses, commuter railways, and through tunnels and bridges every day. That’s a lot of numbers to track.

Really a lot; MTA now publishes more than 180 datasets. Recent additions include more than a decade’s worth of data on the time MTA employees spend on “productive tasks,” a new dataset on subway-delay-causing incidents; and bus speeds on Manhattan’s most crowded downtown roads. Kuziemko says 30 more datasets are becoming publicly available “in the near future.”

Counter Intelligence

In an interview, Kuziemko and MTA chief of strategic initiatives Jon Kaufman credited a new culture of intra-agency data sharing for the renewed program. In 2023, leadership encouraged managers across the agency to allow their data to be ingested into the MTA’s “data lake,” which can be refined, stripped of identifying information, and eventually published openly. (Some of the MTA’s data contains the personally identifiable information of commuters; the agency says this specific data is not published for the public.) The agency has also started using new in-house software and tools, which give them technical capabilities they didn’t have before. “We have paid for zero hours of consulting time, which is a thing we’re really proud of—that we actually built in-house expertise in the public sector,” says Kuziemko. “It’s really cool.”

“It’s rare for a government agency to share this level of data granularity,” says Sarah Kaufman, who directs the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation and once led the agency’s open-data program. In fact, it’s something like an about-face for the MTA, which before 2009 made a habit of legally pursuing developers who scraped system timetable and route data to build rider-friendly apps.

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Two hundred and fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a new commercial from Google asks: What if the Founding Fathers had access to Google Workspace?

With the tagline “Group project, but make it 1776,” the ad depicts a largely unseen Thomas Jefferson mid-draft when he gets a nagging text from Ben Franklin, leading to a very Google-centric collaboration process. Edits are suggested in Google Docs, a meeting gets scheduled in Google Calendar and conducted remotely via Google Meet (with every single attendee apparently turning their camera off?), then the whole thing is finalized with e-signatures; cue the fireworks.

Of course, since this is an ad from a tech company in the year 2026, AI has a role to play. The fictionalized founders use Google’s “help me visualize” AI tool to try out different animals on the national seal, Gemini takes notes on the meeting, and the founders also ask the chatbot for advice before declining King George III’s document access request.

The whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek (at one point, Sam Adams asks, “Can we settle this over beers?”), and the AI evangelism is relatively discreet when compared to many other recent ads. And unlike that infamous Google commercial in which a father uses Gemini to write a fan letter for his daughter, this one shies away from any suggestion that the actual text of the Declaration of Independence would be improved with AI. Perhaps the most AI-forward element of the ad is the footage itself, which to my eye has the uncanny glow of AI-generated video.

While viewer comments on YouTube and Instagram appear to be mostly positive, you may not be surprised to learn that the response on Bluesky has been far more critical. Posters declared the commercial “cringey” and “stunningly tone deaf,” and the AI angle was the biggest target — even as many users, including historian Angus Johnston, noted that it’s “amazing how little of this is actually AI.”

“Even in a corny fantasy joke, it’s impossible to make the case that AI is a useful tool for political organizing, writing, or human collaboration,” Johnston said.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3RjZY-rSsc[/embed]

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Google #commercial #imagines #Declaration #Independence #written #TechCrunchgemini,Google">New Google commercial imagines a Declaration of Independence written with help from AI | TechCrunch Two hundred and fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a new commercial from Google asks: What if the Founding Fathers had access to Google Workspace? With the tagline “Group project, but make it 1776,” the ad depicts a largely unseen Thomas Jefferson mid-draft when he gets a nagging text from Ben Franklin, leading to a very Google-centric collaboration process. Edits are suggested in Google Docs, a meeting gets scheduled in Google Calendar and conducted remotely via Google Meet (with every single attendee apparently turning their camera off?), then the whole thing is finalized with e-signatures; cue the fireworks. Of course, since this is an ad from a tech company in the year 2026, AI has a role to play. The fictionalized founders use Google’s “help me visualize” AI tool to try out different animals on the national seal, Gemini takes notes on the meeting, and the founders also ask the chatbot for advice before declining King George III’s document access request. The whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek (at one point, Sam Adams asks, “Can we settle this over beers?”), and the AI evangelism is relatively discreet when compared to many other recent ads. And unlike that infamous Google commercial in which a father uses Gemini to write a fan letter for his daughter, this one shies away from any suggestion that the actual text of the Declaration of Independence would be improved with AI. Perhaps the most AI-forward element of the ad is the footage itself, which to my eye has the uncanny glow of AI-generated video. While viewer comments on YouTube and Instagram appear to be mostly positive, you may not be surprised to learn that the response on Bluesky has been far more critical. Posters declared the commercial “cringey” and “stunningly tone deaf,” and the AI angle was the biggest target — even as many users, including historian Angus Johnston, noted that it’s “amazing how little of this is actually AI.” “Even in a corny fantasy joke, it’s impossible to make the case that AI is a useful tool for political organizing, writing, or human collaboration,” Johnston said. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3RjZY-rSsc[/embed] When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Google #commercial #imagines #Declaration #Independence #written #TechCrunchgemini,Google

a new commercial from Google asks: What if the Founding Fathers had access to Google Workspace?

With the tagline “Group project, but make it 1776,” the ad depicts a largely unseen Thomas Jefferson mid-draft when he gets a nagging text from Ben Franklin, leading to a very Google-centric collaboration process. Edits are suggested in Google Docs, a meeting gets scheduled in Google Calendar and conducted remotely via Google Meet (with every single attendee apparently turning their camera off?), then the whole thing is finalized with e-signatures; cue the fireworks.

Of course, since this is an ad from a tech company in the year 2026, AI has a role to play. The fictionalized founders use Google’s “help me visualize” AI tool to try out different animals on the national seal, Gemini takes notes on the meeting, and the founders also ask the chatbot for advice before declining King George III’s document access request.

The whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek (at one point, Sam Adams asks, “Can we settle this over beers?”), and the AI evangelism is relatively discreet when compared to many other recent ads. And unlike that infamous Google commercial in which a father uses Gemini to write a fan letter for his daughter, this one shies away from any suggestion that the actual text of the Declaration of Independence would be improved with AI. Perhaps the most AI-forward element of the ad is the footage itself, which to my eye has the uncanny glow of AI-generated video.

While viewer comments on YouTube and Instagram appear to be mostly positive, you may not be surprised to learn that the response on Bluesky has been far more critical. Posters declared the commercial “cringey” and “stunningly tone deaf,” and the AI angle was the biggest target — even as many users, including historian Angus Johnston, noted that it’s “amazing how little of this is actually AI.”

“Even in a corny fantasy joke, it’s impossible to make the case that AI is a useful tool for political organizing, writing, or human collaboration,” Johnston said.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3RjZY-rSsc[/embed]

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Google #commercial #imagines #Declaration #Independence #written #TechCrunchgemini,Google">New Google commercial imagines a Declaration of Independence written with help from AI | TechCrunch

Two hundred and fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a new commercial from Google asks: What if the Founding Fathers had access to Google Workspace?

With the tagline “Group project, but make it 1776,” the ad depicts a largely unseen Thomas Jefferson mid-draft when he gets a nagging text from Ben Franklin, leading to a very Google-centric collaboration process. Edits are suggested in Google Docs, a meeting gets scheduled in Google Calendar and conducted remotely via Google Meet (with every single attendee apparently turning their camera off?), then the whole thing is finalized with e-signatures; cue the fireworks.

Of course, since this is an ad from a tech company in the year 2026, AI has a role to play. The fictionalized founders use Google’s “help me visualize” AI tool to try out different animals on the national seal, Gemini takes notes on the meeting, and the founders also ask the chatbot for advice before declining King George III’s document access request.

The whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek (at one point, Sam Adams asks, “Can we settle this over beers?”), and the AI evangelism is relatively discreet when compared to many other recent ads. And unlike that infamous Google commercial in which a father uses Gemini to write a fan letter for his daughter, this one shies away from any suggestion that the actual text of the Declaration of Independence would be improved with AI. Perhaps the most AI-forward element of the ad is the footage itself, which to my eye has the uncanny glow of AI-generated video.

While viewer comments on YouTube and Instagram appear to be mostly positive, you may not be surprised to learn that the response on Bluesky has been far more critical. Posters declared the commercial “cringey” and “stunningly tone deaf,” and the AI angle was the biggest target — even as many users, including historian Angus Johnston, noted that it’s “amazing how little of this is actually AI.”

“Even in a corny fantasy joke, it’s impossible to make the case that AI is a useful tool for political organizing, writing, or human collaboration,” Johnston said.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3RjZY-rSsc[/embed]

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Google #commercial #imagines #Declaration #Independence #written #TechCrunchgemini,Google
Garmin Forerunner 70 Features

The entry-level Forerunner 70 is designed for beginners who want a dedicated running watch without sacrificing advanced training tools. It features a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, offers up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, and tracks pace, distance, and wrist-based heart rate.

Despite being the most affordable model in the lineup, Garmin has included several premium metrics such as Running Power, Running Dynamics, Acute Load, Training Effect, and Recovery Time. The watch also supports over 80 sports modes, including cycling, swimming, yoga, strength training, and HIIT. Outside workouts, users can monitor sleep, stress levels, Body Battery energy, and receive the company’s Morning Report with a daily health summary.

Garmin Forerunner 70 and 170 Series Arrive in India With 13-Day Battery & AI Training Tools Garmin has expanded its running smartwatch lineup in India with the launch of the new Forerunner 70, Forerunner 170, and Forerunner 170 Music. Aimed at everyone from first-time runners to marathon enthusiasts, the new wearables bring AMOLED displays, Garmin Coach training plans, built-in GPS, smart notifications, safety features, and access to the Garmin Connect ecosystem. They also include Garmin’s adaptive coaching tools, such as Garmin Coach, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, Recovery Time, and Daily Suggested Workouts, to help runners optimize both training and recovery. Garmin Forerunner 70 Features The entry-level Forerunner 70 is designed for beginners who want a dedicated running watch without sacrificing advanced training tools. It features a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, offers up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, and tracks pace, distance, and wrist-based heart rate. Despite being the most affordable model in the lineup, Garmin has included several premium metrics such as Running Power, Running Dynamics, Acute Load, Training Effect, and Recovery Time. The watch also supports over 80 sports modes, including cycling, swimming, yoga, strength training, and HIIT. Outside workouts, users can monitor sleep, stress levels, Body Battery energy, and receive the company’s Morning Report with a daily health summary. The Forerunner 170 and Forerunner 170 Music are designed for more serious runners seeking deeper performance insights. Both watches feature a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, a lightweight 43mm case, and up to 10 days of battery life. The duo builds upon the Forerunner 70 by offering more advanced recovery analysis and training metrics, including Running Dynamics, Running Power, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, and Acute Load. Garmin has also included a full suite of health features like all-day heart rate monitoring, Sleep Coach, Body Battery, stress tracking, respiration monitoring, Morning Report, Evening Report, and women’s health tracking. Like the Forerunner 70, both models support more than 80 built-in sports profiles. The biggest difference between the two is that the Forerunner 170 Music lets users download playlists from supported music streaming services directly to the watch, enabling phone-free listening during workouts. The Garmin Forerunner 70 is priced at ₹32,990 and goes on sale starting July 3. Meanwhile, the Forerunner 170 is priced at ₹39,490, while the Forerunner 170 Music costs ₹45,990. Both models will be available from July 4 through Garmin India’s website, Amazon, and authorized retail stores across the country. #Garmin #Forerunner #Series #Arrive #India #13Day #Battery #Training #ToolsGarmin

The Forerunner 170 and Forerunner 170 Music are designed for more serious runners seeking deeper performance insights. Both watches feature a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, a lightweight 43mm case, and up to 10 days of battery life. The duo builds upon the Forerunner 70 by offering more advanced recovery analysis and training metrics, including Running Dynamics, Running Power, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, and Acute Load.

Garmin has also included a full suite of health features like all-day heart rate monitoring, Sleep Coach, Body Battery, stress tracking, respiration monitoring, Morning Report, Evening Report, and women’s health tracking. Like the Forerunner 70, both models support more than 80 built-in sports profiles. The biggest difference between the two is that the Forerunner 170 Music lets users download playlists from supported music streaming services directly to the watch, enabling phone-free listening during workouts.

The Garmin Forerunner 70 is priced at ₹32,990 and goes on sale starting July 3. Meanwhile, the Forerunner 170 is priced at ₹39,490, while the Forerunner 170 Music costs ₹45,990. Both models will be available from July 4 through Garmin India’s website, Amazon, and authorized retail stores across the country.

#Garmin #Forerunner #Series #Arrive #India #13Day #Battery #Training #ToolsGarmin">Garmin Forerunner 70 and 170 Series Arrive in India With 13-Day Battery & AI Training Tools Garmin has expanded its running smartwatch lineup in India with the launch of the new Forerunner 70, Forerunner 170, and Forerunner 170 Music. Aimed at everyone from first-time runners to marathon enthusiasts, the new wearables bring AMOLED displays, Garmin Coach training plans, built-in GPS, smart notifications, safety features, and access to the Garmin Connect ecosystem. They also include Garmin’s adaptive coaching tools, such as Garmin Coach, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, Recovery Time, and Daily Suggested Workouts, to help runners optimize both training and recovery. Garmin Forerunner 70 Features The entry-level Forerunner 70 is designed for beginners who want a dedicated running watch without sacrificing advanced training tools. It features a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, offers up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, and tracks pace, distance, and wrist-based heart rate. Despite being the most affordable model in the lineup, Garmin has included several premium metrics such as Running Power, Running Dynamics, Acute Load, Training Effect, and Recovery Time. The watch also supports over 80 sports modes, including cycling, swimming, yoga, strength training, and HIIT. Outside workouts, users can monitor sleep, stress levels, Body Battery energy, and receive the company’s Morning Report with a daily health summary. The Forerunner 170 and Forerunner 170 Music are designed for more serious runners seeking deeper performance insights. Both watches feature a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, a lightweight 43mm case, and up to 10 days of battery life. The duo builds upon the Forerunner 70 by offering more advanced recovery analysis and training metrics, including Running Dynamics, Running Power, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, and Acute Load. Garmin has also included a full suite of health features like all-day heart rate monitoring, Sleep Coach, Body Battery, stress tracking, respiration monitoring, Morning Report, Evening Report, and women’s health tracking. Like the Forerunner 70, both models support more than 80 built-in sports profiles. The biggest difference between the two is that the Forerunner 170 Music lets users download playlists from supported music streaming services directly to the watch, enabling phone-free listening during workouts. The Garmin Forerunner 70 is priced at ₹32,990 and goes on sale starting July 3. Meanwhile, the Forerunner 170 is priced at ₹39,490, while the Forerunner 170 Music costs ₹45,990. Both models will be available from July 4 through Garmin India’s website, Amazon, and authorized retail stores across the country. #Garmin #Forerunner #Series #Arrive #India #13Day #Battery #Training #ToolsGarmin

Forerunner 170 and Forerunner 170 Music are designed for more serious runners seeking deeper performance insights. Both watches feature a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, a lightweight 43mm case, and up to 10 days of battery life. The duo builds upon the Forerunner 70 by offering more advanced recovery analysis and training metrics, including Running Dynamics, Running Power, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, and Acute Load.

Garmin has also included a full suite of health features like all-day heart rate monitoring, Sleep Coach, Body Battery, stress tracking, respiration monitoring, Morning Report, Evening Report, and women’s health tracking. Like the Forerunner 70, both models support more than 80 built-in sports profiles. The biggest difference between the two is that the Forerunner 170 Music lets users download playlists from supported music streaming services directly to the watch, enabling phone-free listening during workouts.

The Garmin Forerunner 70 is priced at ₹32,990 and goes on sale starting July 3. Meanwhile, the Forerunner 170 is priced at ₹39,490, while the Forerunner 170 Music costs ₹45,990. Both models will be available from July 4 through Garmin India’s website, Amazon, and authorized retail stores across the country.

#Garmin #Forerunner #Series #Arrive #India #13Day #Battery #Training #ToolsGarmin">Garmin Forerunner 70 and 170 Series Arrive in India With 13-Day Battery & AI Training Tools

Garmin has expanded its running smartwatch lineup in India with the launch of the new Forerunner 70, Forerunner 170, and Forerunner 170 Music. Aimed at everyone from first-time runners to marathon enthusiasts, the new wearables bring AMOLED displays, Garmin Coach training plans, built-in GPS, smart notifications, safety features, and access to the Garmin Connect ecosystem. They also include Garmin’s adaptive coaching tools, such as Garmin Coach, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, Recovery Time, and Daily Suggested Workouts, to help runners optimize both training and recovery.

Garmin Forerunner 70 Features

The entry-level Forerunner 70 is designed for beginners who want a dedicated running watch without sacrificing advanced training tools. It features a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, offers up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, and tracks pace, distance, and wrist-based heart rate.

Despite being the most affordable model in the lineup, Garmin has included several premium metrics such as Running Power, Running Dynamics, Acute Load, Training Effect, and Recovery Time. The watch also supports over 80 sports modes, including cycling, swimming, yoga, strength training, and HIIT. Outside workouts, users can monitor sleep, stress levels, Body Battery energy, and receive the company’s Morning Report with a daily health summary.

Garmin Forerunner 70 and 170 Series Arrive in India With 13-Day Battery & AI Training Tools Garmin has expanded its running smartwatch lineup in India with the launch of the new Forerunner 70, Forerunner 170, and Forerunner 170 Music. Aimed at everyone from first-time runners to marathon enthusiasts, the new wearables bring AMOLED displays, Garmin Coach training plans, built-in GPS, smart notifications, safety features, and access to the Garmin Connect ecosystem. They also include Garmin’s adaptive coaching tools, such as Garmin Coach, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, Recovery Time, and Daily Suggested Workouts, to help runners optimize both training and recovery. Garmin Forerunner 70 Features The entry-level Forerunner 70 is designed for beginners who want a dedicated running watch without sacrificing advanced training tools. It features a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, offers up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, and tracks pace, distance, and wrist-based heart rate. Despite being the most affordable model in the lineup, Garmin has included several premium metrics such as Running Power, Running Dynamics, Acute Load, Training Effect, and Recovery Time. The watch also supports over 80 sports modes, including cycling, swimming, yoga, strength training, and HIIT. Outside workouts, users can monitor sleep, stress levels, Body Battery energy, and receive the company’s Morning Report with a daily health summary. The Forerunner 170 and Forerunner 170 Music are designed for more serious runners seeking deeper performance insights. Both watches feature a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, a lightweight 43mm case, and up to 10 days of battery life. The duo builds upon the Forerunner 70 by offering more advanced recovery analysis and training metrics, including Running Dynamics, Running Power, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, and Acute Load. Garmin has also included a full suite of health features like all-day heart rate monitoring, Sleep Coach, Body Battery, stress tracking, respiration monitoring, Morning Report, Evening Report, and women’s health tracking. Like the Forerunner 70, both models support more than 80 built-in sports profiles. The biggest difference between the two is that the Forerunner 170 Music lets users download playlists from supported music streaming services directly to the watch, enabling phone-free listening during workouts. The Garmin Forerunner 70 is priced at ₹32,990 and goes on sale starting July 3. Meanwhile, the Forerunner 170 is priced at ₹39,490, while the Forerunner 170 Music costs ₹45,990. Both models will be available from July 4 through Garmin India’s website, Amazon, and authorized retail stores across the country. #Garmin #Forerunner #Series #Arrive #India #13Day #Battery #Training #ToolsGarmin

The Forerunner 170 and Forerunner 170 Music are designed for more serious runners seeking deeper performance insights. Both watches feature a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, a lightweight 43mm case, and up to 10 days of battery life. The duo builds upon the Forerunner 70 by offering more advanced recovery analysis and training metrics, including Running Dynamics, Running Power, Training Readiness, Training Status, HRV Status, and Acute Load.

Garmin has also included a full suite of health features like all-day heart rate monitoring, Sleep Coach, Body Battery, stress tracking, respiration monitoring, Morning Report, Evening Report, and women’s health tracking. Like the Forerunner 70, both models support more than 80 built-in sports profiles. The biggest difference between the two is that the Forerunner 170 Music lets users download playlists from supported music streaming services directly to the watch, enabling phone-free listening during workouts.

The Garmin Forerunner 70 is priced at ₹32,990 and goes on sale starting July 3. Meanwhile, the Forerunner 170 is priced at ₹39,490, while the Forerunner 170 Music costs ₹45,990. Both models will be available from July 4 through Garmin India’s website, Amazon, and authorized retail stores across the country.

#Garmin #Forerunner #Series #Arrive #India #13Day #Battery #Training #ToolsGarmin

Scientists in Singapore and Japan have developed a tiny 3D-printed scuba suit for cyborg cockroaches, allowing them to survive and move underwater and other low-oxygen environments for up to three hours.

The suit can transform a regular cockroach, and potentially other insects, into “an amphibious cyborg robot capable of operation across land and water,” according to a new research paper published this week in Nature Communications. The study was conducted by scientists at Nanyang Technological University and Waseda University.

So, why do researchers want half-robot cockroaches to breathe underwater anyway?

Apparently, they hope to one day be able to use cyborg cockroaches in search and rescue missions, pipeline inspection, and other complex tasks. NTU Professor Hirotaka Sato, who led the study, has been working on cyborg insects for more than a decade. These hybrid robots combine living insects with electrodes that allow humans to remotely control their movements. Sato and his co-authors argue that this setup can make them more useful than traditional robots in some situations.

Unlike conventional robots, cyborg insects consume less energy because they use their own muscles to move. They are also small enough to move through confined and cluttered spaces that larger robots may not be able to reach.

These cyborgs have already been used in actual search-and-rescue operations, including Operation Lionheart after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar in March, according to NTU.

There is one obvious drawback, though. These tiny cyborgs still have biological limits. They need oxygen, which makes them much less useful underwater.

“This is important because real disaster sites can be challenging after heavy rain or flooding, blocking access routes in the rubble, drains and narrow gaps,” Sato said in a news release on the study. “By expanding the operating parameters of our cyborg insects to include underwater travel, we believe that they can enhance search and rescue efforts.”

The new scuba suit is meant to solve that problem.

How the suit works

Cockroaches breathe through small holes on their bodies known as spiracles. To protect those spiracles from water, the researchers made a flexible 3D-printed shell that wraps around the insect’s body. Four small tubes then attach to the cockroach’s spiracles and deliver oxygen directly to them.

Attached to the shell is an oxygen-generation tank that contains a small sponge soaked in manganese dioxide. To activate the system, the team injected diluted hydrogen peroxide into the tank, then sealed it with ultraviolet adhesive to prevent leaks.

The chemical reaction inside the tank slowly releases oxygen, which is then delivered through silicone tubes into the cockroach’s spiracles.

According to the study, the suit was tested on Madagascar hissing cockroaches in plastic tubes that simulated different environments.

Cyborg cockroaches equipped with the suit were able to move around underwater for two to three hours. Cockroaches in the control group suffocated within two minutes.

The team said this suit could potentially be adapted for other robot bugs like locusts and beetles, as these insects have similar body structures and respiratory systems.

#Researchers #Built #Scuba #Suit #Cyborg #CockroachesInsects,Robotics">Researchers Built a Scuba Suit for Cyborg Cockroaches Scientists in Singapore and Japan have developed a tiny 3D-printed scuba suit for cyborg cockroaches, allowing them to survive and move underwater and other low-oxygen environments for up to three hours. The suit can transform a regular cockroach, and potentially other insects, into “an amphibious cyborg robot capable of operation across land and water,” according to a new research paper published this week in Nature Communications. The study was conducted by scientists at Nanyang Technological University and Waseda University. So, why do researchers want half-robot cockroaches to breathe underwater anyway? Apparently, they hope to one day be able to use cyborg cockroaches in search and rescue missions, pipeline inspection, and other complex tasks. NTU Professor Hirotaka Sato, who led the study, has been working on cyborg insects for more than a decade. These hybrid robots combine living insects with electrodes that allow humans to remotely control their movements. Sato and his co-authors argue that this setup can make them more useful than traditional robots in some situations. Unlike conventional robots, cyborg insects consume less energy because they use their own muscles to move. They are also small enough to move through confined and cluttered spaces that larger robots may not be able to reach. These cyborgs have already been used in actual search-and-rescue operations, including Operation Lionheart after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar in March, according to NTU. There is one obvious drawback, though. These tiny cyborgs still have biological limits. They need oxygen, which makes them much less useful underwater. “This is important because real disaster sites can be challenging after heavy rain or flooding, blocking access routes in the rubble, drains and narrow gaps,” Sato said in a news release on the study. “By expanding the operating parameters of our cyborg insects to include underwater travel, we believe that they can enhance search and rescue efforts.” The new scuba suit is meant to solve that problem. How the suit works Cockroaches breathe through small holes on their bodies known as spiracles. To protect those spiracles from water, the researchers made a flexible 3D-printed shell that wraps around the insect’s body. Four small tubes then attach to the cockroach’s spiracles and deliver oxygen directly to them. Attached to the shell is an oxygen-generation tank that contains a small sponge soaked in manganese dioxide. To activate the system, the team injected diluted hydrogen peroxide into the tank, then sealed it with ultraviolet adhesive to prevent leaks. The chemical reaction inside the tank slowly releases oxygen, which is then delivered through silicone tubes into the cockroach’s spiracles. According to the study, the suit was tested on Madagascar hissing cockroaches in plastic tubes that simulated different environments. Cyborg cockroaches equipped with the suit were able to move around underwater for two to three hours. Cockroaches in the control group suffocated within two minutes. The team said this suit could potentially be adapted for other robot bugs like locusts and beetles, as these insects have similar body structures and respiratory systems. #Researchers #Built #Scuba #Suit #Cyborg #CockroachesInsects,Robotics

research paper published this week in Nature Communications. The study was conducted by scientists at Nanyang Technological University and Waseda University.

So, why do researchers want half-robot cockroaches to breathe underwater anyway?

Apparently, they hope to one day be able to use cyborg cockroaches in search and rescue missions, pipeline inspection, and other complex tasks. NTU Professor Hirotaka Sato, who led the study, has been working on cyborg insects for more than a decade. These hybrid robots combine living insects with electrodes that allow humans to remotely control their movements. Sato and his co-authors argue that this setup can make them more useful than traditional robots in some situations.

Unlike conventional robots, cyborg insects consume less energy because they use their own muscles to move. They are also small enough to move through confined and cluttered spaces that larger robots may not be able to reach.

These cyborgs have already been used in actual search-and-rescue operations, including Operation Lionheart after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar in March, according to NTU.

There is one obvious drawback, though. These tiny cyborgs still have biological limits. They need oxygen, which makes them much less useful underwater.

“This is important because real disaster sites can be challenging after heavy rain or flooding, blocking access routes in the rubble, drains and narrow gaps,” Sato said in a news release on the study. “By expanding the operating parameters of our cyborg insects to include underwater travel, we believe that they can enhance search and rescue efforts.”

The new scuba suit is meant to solve that problem.

How the suit works

Cockroaches breathe through small holes on their bodies known as spiracles. To protect those spiracles from water, the researchers made a flexible 3D-printed shell that wraps around the insect’s body. Four small tubes then attach to the cockroach’s spiracles and deliver oxygen directly to them.

Attached to the shell is an oxygen-generation tank that contains a small sponge soaked in manganese dioxide. To activate the system, the team injected diluted hydrogen peroxide into the tank, then sealed it with ultraviolet adhesive to prevent leaks.

The chemical reaction inside the tank slowly releases oxygen, which is then delivered through silicone tubes into the cockroach’s spiracles.

According to the study, the suit was tested on Madagascar hissing cockroaches in plastic tubes that simulated different environments.

Cyborg cockroaches equipped with the suit were able to move around underwater for two to three hours. Cockroaches in the control group suffocated within two minutes.

The team said this suit could potentially be adapted for other robot bugs like locusts and beetles, as these insects have similar body structures and respiratory systems.

#Researchers #Built #Scuba #Suit #Cyborg #CockroachesInsects,Robotics">Researchers Built a Scuba Suit for Cyborg CockroachesResearchers Built a Scuba Suit for Cyborg Cockroaches Scientists in Singapore and Japan have developed a tiny 3D-printed scuba suit for cyborg cockroaches, allowing them to survive and move underwater and other low-oxygen environments for up to three hours. The suit can transform a regular cockroach, and potentially other insects, into “an amphibious cyborg robot capable of operation across land and water,” according to a new research paper published this week in Nature Communications. The study was conducted by scientists at Nanyang Technological University and Waseda University. So, why do researchers want half-robot cockroaches to breathe underwater anyway? Apparently, they hope to one day be able to use cyborg cockroaches in search and rescue missions, pipeline inspection, and other complex tasks. NTU Professor Hirotaka Sato, who led the study, has been working on cyborg insects for more than a decade. These hybrid robots combine living insects with electrodes that allow humans to remotely control their movements. Sato and his co-authors argue that this setup can make them more useful than traditional robots in some situations. Unlike conventional robots, cyborg insects consume less energy because they use their own muscles to move. They are also small enough to move through confined and cluttered spaces that larger robots may not be able to reach. These cyborgs have already been used in actual search-and-rescue operations, including Operation Lionheart after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar in March, according to NTU. There is one obvious drawback, though. These tiny cyborgs still have biological limits. They need oxygen, which makes them much less useful underwater. “This is important because real disaster sites can be challenging after heavy rain or flooding, blocking access routes in the rubble, drains and narrow gaps,” Sato said in a news release on the study. “By expanding the operating parameters of our cyborg insects to include underwater travel, we believe that they can enhance search and rescue efforts.” The new scuba suit is meant to solve that problem. How the suit works Cockroaches breathe through small holes on their bodies known as spiracles. To protect those spiracles from water, the researchers made a flexible 3D-printed shell that wraps around the insect’s body. Four small tubes then attach to the cockroach’s spiracles and deliver oxygen directly to them. Attached to the shell is an oxygen-generation tank that contains a small sponge soaked in manganese dioxide. To activate the system, the team injected diluted hydrogen peroxide into the tank, then sealed it with ultraviolet adhesive to prevent leaks. The chemical reaction inside the tank slowly releases oxygen, which is then delivered through silicone tubes into the cockroach’s spiracles. According to the study, the suit was tested on Madagascar hissing cockroaches in plastic tubes that simulated different environments. Cyborg cockroaches equipped with the suit were able to move around underwater for two to three hours. Cockroaches in the control group suffocated within two minutes. The team said this suit could potentially be adapted for other robot bugs like locusts and beetles, as these insects have similar body structures and respiratory systems. #Researchers #Built #Scuba #Suit #Cyborg #CockroachesInsects,Robotics

Scientists in Singapore and Japan have developed a tiny 3D-printed scuba suit for cyborg cockroaches, allowing them to survive and move underwater and other low-oxygen environments for up to three hours.

The suit can transform a regular cockroach, and potentially other insects, into “an amphibious cyborg robot capable of operation across land and water,” according to a new research paper published this week in Nature Communications. The study was conducted by scientists at Nanyang Technological University and Waseda University.

So, why do researchers want half-robot cockroaches to breathe underwater anyway?

Apparently, they hope to one day be able to use cyborg cockroaches in search and rescue missions, pipeline inspection, and other complex tasks. NTU Professor Hirotaka Sato, who led the study, has been working on cyborg insects for more than a decade. These hybrid robots combine living insects with electrodes that allow humans to remotely control their movements. Sato and his co-authors argue that this setup can make them more useful than traditional robots in some situations.

Unlike conventional robots, cyborg insects consume less energy because they use their own muscles to move. They are also small enough to move through confined and cluttered spaces that larger robots may not be able to reach.

These cyborgs have already been used in actual search-and-rescue operations, including Operation Lionheart after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar in March, according to NTU.

There is one obvious drawback, though. These tiny cyborgs still have biological limits. They need oxygen, which makes them much less useful underwater.

“This is important because real disaster sites can be challenging after heavy rain or flooding, blocking access routes in the rubble, drains and narrow gaps,” Sato said in a news release on the study. “By expanding the operating parameters of our cyborg insects to include underwater travel, we believe that they can enhance search and rescue efforts.”

The new scuba suit is meant to solve that problem.

How the suit works

Cockroaches breathe through small holes on their bodies known as spiracles. To protect those spiracles from water, the researchers made a flexible 3D-printed shell that wraps around the insect’s body. Four small tubes then attach to the cockroach’s spiracles and deliver oxygen directly to them.

Attached to the shell is an oxygen-generation tank that contains a small sponge soaked in manganese dioxide. To activate the system, the team injected diluted hydrogen peroxide into the tank, then sealed it with ultraviolet adhesive to prevent leaks.

The chemical reaction inside the tank slowly releases oxygen, which is then delivered through silicone tubes into the cockroach’s spiracles.

According to the study, the suit was tested on Madagascar hissing cockroaches in plastic tubes that simulated different environments.

Cyborg cockroaches equipped with the suit were able to move around underwater for two to three hours. Cockroaches in the control group suffocated within two minutes.

The team said this suit could potentially be adapted for other robot bugs like locusts and beetles, as these insects have similar body structures and respiratory systems.

#Researchers #Built #Scuba #Suit #Cyborg #CockroachesInsects,Robotics

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