Can A Thousand Tiny Swarming Robots Outsmart Nature?
From Deep Look
4 min3rd4th5th6thTechnologyScience
Summary
Engineers built a swarm of a thousand tiny robots that work together with no leader, copying how ants and bees organize. Deep Look shows how simple rules let a crowd of little machines solve big problems.
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Discussion questions
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Each little robot follows a few simple rules and 'talks' only to its neighbors, yet the whole swarm can form shapes and move together -- just like ants or bees with no boss in charge. Engineers copy nature's teamwork to design machines that could search, build, or explore.
- What animals gave engineers the idea for swarming robots?
- How can a thousand robots work together with no leader?
- What kinds of jobs might a swarm of tiny robots help with?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: swarm, robot, engineer, design.
Try it: With classmates, each follow one rule (stay near a neighbor, move toward a spot). Write how simple rules made the group move together.