Robot bee swarms: Our servants of the future?

Published April 1, 2013 2:35pm

Hosts of tiny robots working together to complete tasks —in a manner akin to the "collective intelligence" of a swarm of bees— could become humanity’s servants of the future.

According to ScienceDaily, researchers in the Sheffield Centre for Robotics —established by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University— have been developing a system to control a group of as many as 40 robots. Learning to play 'fetch'

So far, the swarm has exhibited the ability to fetch and carry objects by gathering around said object and working in unison to push it across a surface. The robots can also regroup themselves into a single cluster after being dispersed across a room, and reorganize themselves according to criteria put forward by their programming.

“We are developing Artificial Intelligence to control robots in a variety of ways,” said Dr. Roderich Gross, head of the Natural Robotics Lab at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering. “The key is to work out what is the minimum amount of information needed by the robot to accomplish its task. That's important because it means the robot may not need any memory, and possibly not even a processing unit, so this technology could work for nanoscale robots, for example in medical applications,” he added.

Medical applications in the future

Dr. Gross says these robot swarms could play a beneficial role in the evolution of micromedicine, as they could pave the way for “nanobots”, considered key to the non-invasive treatment of humans. Swarming robots could also be employed in search and rescue operations and in the military, entering and working in places far too dangerous or impractical for humans. They could even have industrial uses, enhancing manufacturing procedures and improving workplace safety.

The University of Sheffield team purposely designed the programming to be as uncomplicated as possible. For instance, to join with other robots and reform their swarm, all any individual robot has to figure out is whether or not there is another robot in close proximity. If it fails to find one, its programming will direct it to move in a wider circle until it does. A Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant within the 7th European Community Framework Programme is funding the research. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is providing additional support. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: robot, swarm, bees