This Sega Saturn joystick has two identities. One is a mild mannered joystick, the other is a killer Insecticon. It also goes by “Robo-Space-Bug,” according to its creator, James Ian Killinger. Apparently Killinger didn’t have to completely re-engineer the joystick to make it transform.

It has all of the original components and three extra screws. That’s it, just three extra screws. One wonders what he could do with four extra screws. Or five. The man is clearly a genius and it’s clear that we have been taking screws for granted.

While you were busy back-to-school shopping, robots have been busy colonizing our world. As usual. We’re so glad that your kid has some new pencils, a fly laptop, a new haircut and a trapper keeper, but that ain’t gonna save us from our future. You need to be putting little Timmy into a John Conner bootcamp so he can learn the fine art of killing things with no souls. Well, you can lead a human to water, but you can’t make him think. Here’s some of what we covered over at Botropolis this week:

Simon: A deceptively cute harbinger of doom.

MIT’s Robot Fish: The seas shall run red with blood. Yours and mine.

Robots Kissing: The revolution won’t be televised, but robot kissing will.

Phasma Insect Robot: A swarm of robot locusts will soon block out the sun.

The Cajun Crawler is a remarkable application of Theo Jansen’s fascinating articulated walking legs. This is really the first-known practical application, designed and built by UL Engineering students. They clam it even has the steering power of a tank if you can believe that.

The crawler moves at about 2 to 3 miles per hour. Which gives you a fair chance to run when you see an army of them with no riders coming at you. It looks awesomely cool and moves amazingly. We’re equal parts in awe and just plain creeped out.

Is this the next step in mouse evolution. It is if you’re Jose E. Rivera and this is your mouse. It’s a highly evolved USB mouse, that can unfold its wings and just look creepy. The next step in it’s evolution is to take flight, attack and lay eggs in you somewhere. That’s when an organic USB port will appear on your abdomen. Once you plug in, the warmth generated VIA USB will incubate it’s eggs, until baby flying scarab-demons burst from your chest. But you don’t have to worry about that…Unless you’re Jose E. Rivera.

Your mouse says a lot about your personality. If you like portability and great design your mouse of choice is probably the arc, while a Baseball fan would love this dorky mouse. Maybe you love the Olympics, but use these Olympic Mascot mice year round.

What I’m saying is that our mice are as varied as we are. What kind of person would use these Ladybug mice from Brando? I’m thinking girls mostly, maybe strange scientist dudes that collect bugs and put holes in the lid. I have no idea, but they look good out in the grass and for $12 you might as well get all buggy. If it doesn’t work out as a mouse you can always mod it to be a desktop Roomba or something.

No doubt some unlucky few have actually had bugs crawl into their ears. I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard stories. That’s got to drive you nuts just knowing something is wiggling around in there getting ready to eat your brain.

So why anyone would want to tempt fate by wearing these cutesy insect earbuds from Brightonnet is beyond me. The last thing you want to do is attract the real thing into your ear canal. Still, if you’re cool with that, they go on sale in Japan on July 14 and will cost about $ 12. Just don’t come freaking out to us. These would go great with the pigs earbuds.

One of the boffins at Georgia Tech has found something easier then building a robot with spy gear built in. He has taken the path less traveled by implanting the devices directly into a living bug. (Gentlemen, we can rebuild him…) The idea is to make longer-living SpyBot insects by implanting sensors that can detect things like sounds or gases while the insects are still in their larval stages. Then, they simple do what nature commands and grow up into adulthood and around the micro-electronics. The result is a cyborg moth that looks like a normal moth.

The saying, “Just because I’m paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not out to get me.” comes to mind. The next hurdle is figuring out just how to control these little critters. One idea is electrical stimulation, like remote control. Another is to project the scent of a female bug so the poor guy will chase after the phantom female with never any result.