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Miniature robots may provide clues for future technology advances in transport. A robotics team from the University of Pennsylvania is conducting research into Swarm Technology.
The research team designed a system that allows them to coordinate
several small quadcopters with one device. The goal is to use one device
to coordinate all of the robots instead of having to program each one
separately.
A video has been posted on YouTube
from the lab at UPenn that shows the quadcopters in action. Viewers can
see the ability of the copters to act as a team with amazing agility in
the moves. These quadcopters can perform tricks such as flipping over
while staying in flight. 16 quadcopters are used and they change
direction, move along obstacles and land in formation. They can even fly
in a figure-eight formation, which is amazing to watch.
It takes careful operation to coordinate multiple robots and presents
a major challenge for researchers. It is more effective and efficient
to use a device to control the robots as a group. As this advances, the
technology could be used with larger robots to provide search and rescue
or for surveillance. The technology could also be used in more
commercial settings such as in cars to make traffic move more safely and
efficiently. Cars that can sense how far away other vehicles are can
react to changes in traffic flow-avoiding accidents and making cars move
in sync. Avoiding unnecessary tailbacks.
Watching the robots work
together as if they are in sync is amazing. It appears as if they are
aware of where the others are located as they avoid contact and keep the
same distance for their maneuvers. The robots sound like a swarm of
bees as they move together, but it is the way they move as one that will
blow you away. One can only imagine where this could lead as the
technology advances to larger items.
