Everyone hates cockroach to the core. They are the most problematic and omnipresent pest and simply won’t die so easily which is why they were able to successfully survive even after the extinction of many species.

Several decades ago, Dr. Li Shunan who is a physician cum medical professor was traveling in the Dali region of China Yunnan province. He met the inhabitants of that region who were using cockroaches to treat tuberculosis. The exoskeleton portion of the cockroach was ground into powder. It was either consumed with oil or rubbed directly on the skin.

But in recent times, cockroach powder became much more popular with a huge demand, almost $90 per pound among the traditional Chinese practitioners. The reason behind this huge demand was its benefits in treating wounds, broken bones, cirrhosis and cancer. Its regular consumption could also reverse aging.

Keeping these benefits in mind, a warm humid and dark breeding farm in the southwestern Sichuan province produces more than six billion cockroaches per year. With the help of artificial intelligence, the cockroaches would be crushed once they reach a desired weight and size. This large scale facility with the optimal factors like temperature, humidity, food supply and consumption are managed with the help of a “smart manufacturing” system powered by AI algorithms.