Bomb-smelling insects may someday put traditional sniffer dogs out of the job.

Scientists at Washington University in St Louis have created 'cyborg grasshoppers' that they claim can accurately smell explosive chemicals such as TNT.

Engineers implanted electrodes directly into the brains of the insects to read brain signals triggered by smelling chemical explosives.

These signals were then transmitted wirelessly to a computer from a “backpack” attached to the grasshopper, according to a report in New Scientist.

The authors said their “bio-hacked” grasshopper was similar to the concept of a “canary in a coal mine”, but used modern electrical detection to pinpoint dangerous materials.

Recordings of the brain activity from seven grasshoppers were around 80pc accurate, researchers found.

Attempts to develop a machines, sometimes called “e-noses”, to mimic animal sensory abilities have struggled or lacked accuracy, the researchers said.