Tiny mobile robots are learning to work with insects in the hope the creatures' sensitive antennae and ability to squeeze into small spaces can be put to use serving humans.
With a soft electronic whirr, a rather unusual looking ant trundles along behind a column of its arthropod comrades as they march off to fetch some food.
While the little insects begin ferrying tiny globules of sugar back home, their mechanical companion bustles forward to effortlessly pick up the entire container and carry it back to the nest.
It is a dramatic demonstration of how robots can be introduced and accepted into insect societies.
But the research, which is being conducted as part of the EU-funded CyBioSys project, could be an important step towards using robots to subtly control, or work alongside, animals or humans.
The scientists hope to use the robots to modify animal behavior for pest control or other purposes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @03:30AM
Yeah. Can anyone think of a task you've done|contemplated where ants would be useful helpers?
...and let me be the first to say it:
Just what I always wanted: More effective ants. 8-(
...though the mission-specific wasp assassins mentioned by PartTimeZombie sound cool.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]