Photo courtesy of, and copyrighted by, Gene White, pmimages@earthlink.net
Harvard University turned to the insect world to help develop robots of all things. Researchers designed a crew of tiny robots capable of building complicated structures without using blueprints or other assistance.
Computer scientists and robotics researchers are turning to what they call the “swarm behavior” of termites to explore new ways of enabling large groups of simple robots or flying drones with a common goal, to collaborate.
Scientists programmed the cutting-edge robots using termite colony behavior as a springboard. Without deductive intelligence or a central plan, termite swarms of millions routinely construct mounds as tall as 42 feet. The termites act individually, taking cues from their environment and each other. Similarly, the new bio-inspired robots can build structures with foam bricks.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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