Robots are like termites

Scientists from Harvard University decided to use the mind of a swarm, or rather a swarm of termites, to create teams of robots capable of effectively collaborating on complex structures. Work on the innovative system TERMES, developed at the university, is described in the latest issue of the journal Science.

Each of the robots in the swarm, which may consist of a few or thousands of pieces, is about the size of a human head. Each of them is programmed to perform relatively simple actions - how to raise and lower the "brick", how to move forward and backward, how to turn around and how to climb the structure. Working as a team, they constantly monitor other robots and the structure under construction, constantly adapting their activities to the needs of the site. This form of mutual communication in a group of insects is called stigma.

The concept of working and interacting robots in a swarm is growing in popularity. The artificial intelligence of the robot herd is currently also being developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT researchers will present their grouped robot control and collaboration system in May at an international conference on autonomous single- and multi-component systems in Paris.

Here is a video presentation of the capabilities of the Harvard robotic herd:

Designing Collective Behavior in a Termite-Inspired Robotic Construction Crew