Just when you thought cockroaches had no any useful reason to live between your feet, scientists have discovered a way to harvest electricity power from their bodies which means it can soon power up your cars too.

“It is virtually impossible to start from scratch and make something that works like an insect,” said Daniel Scherson, chemistry professor at Case Western Reserve and senior author of the paper.

“Using an insect is likely to prove far easier,” Scherson said. “For that, you need electrical energy to power sensors or to excite the neurons to make the insect do as you want, by generating enough power out of the insect itself.”

The amount of power can reach to 100 microwatts, but don’t hold your wild dream yet, it can still be turn into an electric source for tiny embedded electronics.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University said that the roaches aren’t harmed physically by the process, and can go on to live their lives after they take off the power gear.