The Brainiac Probes are robots sent by Brainiac as advance agents to planets he intends to invade and to assist him in studying specimens. In spherical form, they are fired from the Bio-Shell to a planet where they activate and begin killing redundant life forms. Each probe contains a transmitter that it uses to send a communication signal to Brainiac. After Kandor was taken, Kryptonian scientists used robots left behind to gather information on Brainiac in order to find it and take their city back. Over 30 years later, a probe crashed through a satellite before approaching the suburbs north of Phoenix, Arizona. Superman fought the probe and deactivated it by ripping its transmitter out. He took it back to the Fortress of Solitude for further research. Superman managed to isolate its communication signala and set out to scan for others in order to find Brainiac. Superman was successful and attempted to intervene on Larroo but failed. Probes were later sent to Metropolis but were met with heavy resistance by Superman, Supergirl, military, and even Daily Planet staff.