How ‘Swarm Robots’ Are Learning from Insects
November 26th, 2013Via: CNN:
In the dystopian future imagined within the popular Terminator franchise, robots learn to think, self-replicate and eventually kill their human masters.
While this bleak vision assumes a number of seemingly distant technological and political developments, some ideas currently driving robotics research may, for some, bear an uncomfortable resemblance to those of the 80s sci-fi smash.
In particular, one area where life seems to be imitating art is the fledgling field of ‘swarm robotics’, in which scientists are creating teams of robots that can work together toward a single goal — from mending a leak to clearing mines — with minimal or no input from humans.
Much of the research is based on the observed behavior of ‘eusocial’ insects — such as ants, bees and termites — who work collectively on complex tasks without central management or higher order intelligence.
