Robot Termites Build Complex Structures with Amazingly Simple Rules
From Meeri Kim, Washington Post
"The termite, typically reviled as the wood-eating nemesis of buildings and homes, has ironically inspired a new batch of construction robots. The automated machines, each about the size of a small brick, can work as a team to build any predefined structure given to them — without a leader or step-by-step instructions, as termites are thought to do.
Instead of communicating directly with one another or following a central command, the robots coordinate their actions by assessing what work has already been done and adding to it. So, say the first robot puts down a block. As it leaves the site, another comes along and senses the block’s location. Based on this local information, as well as knowledge about the end product, it decides to put down its own load on top of the first."
Whole article and video here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/termites-inspire-construction-robots/2014/02/13/e6ef44ce-941f-11e3-83b9-1f024193bb84_story.html
Embedded video at
Building with blueprints or designs? That'll be the end on my career one day.
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