Harvard research team unveils robot ‘termites’ that don’t need a boss
Harvard research team unveils robot ‘termites’ that don’t need a boss
By Agence France-Presse
Thursday, February 13, 2014 21:04 EST
U.S. scientists showed off tiny robots Thursday that can tackle tasks much like real-life termites, working collectively to build structures without following orders from a boss.
The mechanical creatures can tote bricks, build staircases or construct a pyramid, scientists from Harvard University said at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting.
Some direction is needed for the technological termites, known as TERMES, which were built as part of a four-year project that was detailed in the February 13 edition of the journal Science.
Rather than obeying direct orders from an overseer, the robots rely on a concept known as stigmergy, which is a kind of implicit communication whereby the machines observe each others’ changes to the environment and act accordingly, researchers said.
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