We have seen many microrobots,
many of which are inspired by insects,
some of which can intentionally or unconsciously act collectively to complete a “task”
such as bees, locusts, and ants…
Recently, researchers from the University of Bordeaux in France discovered that unconscious microrobots can collaborate like collectively acting insects and move barriers! The experiment was published in a paper in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Since these are unconscious robots, how do they collaborate?
Previous studies have shown that small autonomous robots without computer control tend to “wander” irregularly in a limited space like molecules in a gas. In today’s experiment, the researchers from Bordeaux University increased the number of robots.
All these microrobots are battery-powered, shaped like small insects, each about 4 centimeters long. They have small legs that are not easily noticeable at the bottom of their bodies. When placed on a table, they can move forward at a speed of about 30 centimeters per second through vibrations.
In the first experiment, the researchers placed these microrobots in a flexible closed loop, and the result was that these robots moved very similarly to the trajectories of gas molecules in a closed space, randomly rotating around the circle.
However, when more “peers” joined, the robots began to split into two categories, one category moved randomly like gas, while the other gathered along the boundary, forming a barrier at the edge.
Moreover, as these microrobots moved, the members of the two groups constantly changed!
There is truth in the video
☟
In the second experiment, researchers found that these microrobots could collectively push their shell forward and through a hole structure! Similar to bacteria invading cells.
Unlike the flexible loop in the first experiment, the second experiment used a rigid closed loop, allowing the entire loop to move to another plane.
At this point, we found that the robots would gather at one end of the closed loop and then move it in a certain direction. The experiment found that these microrobots could actually manipulate their path. At one moment, by squeezing the barrier, they could pass through a hole structure, resembling the movement of bacteria invading cells. Researchers even found that these robots could also manipulate their barriers around circular objects.
The results of these two experiments are very significant, perhaps they can explain how insects or microorganisms perform complex behavioral manipulations. Additionally, this may guide the design of microrobots, enabling them to move within biological systems…
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