Researchers have connected wireless remote-control boxes to rats’ brains, boxes that stimulate the rats’ pleasure-centers and spoof sensory data from their whiskers. Using control software, researchers can direct the rats’ movements, making them run, climb and jump on command. The idea is to use the rat-cyborgs as an alternative to robots for exploration and rescue, because the rats are capable of a much more fluid and flexible motion — robots are notoriously bad at coping with unpredictable and uneven terrain. Link Discuss (Thanks, Simon!)