This article was taken from the February 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
This swarm of 1,024 tiny robots can all work in sync, like a mechanical flash mob. Created in Harvard University's Self-organizing Systems Research Group, the Kilobot pack simulates large-scale AI systems. "There's lots of this self-organisation in biology: army ants form bridges; cells come together to create multi-cellular creatures," explains lead researcher and roboticist Michael Rubenstein. His current project: getting the robots to form a larger shape-shifting space robot. "If you're going to Mars, you have to bring every tool, but the weight gets really expensive," says Rubenstein. "Instead, you could have one box of tiny robots that form themselves into any tool."
The robots, each measuring a few centimetres, communicate using infrared sensors, move via two vibration motors, and can cost as little as £9 each (by buying parts in bulk for 1,000 bots).
Other projects include a squad of construction robots modelled on termite colonies, and a flock of flying robots that simulate bees' behaviour. "All the systems use local interaction, there's no global leader," says Rubenstein.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
