Inspired by Ants, the Swiss Research Team Developed a Small Robot

Due to the small size of ants, the ability of individuals is very limited. However, under the collective cooperation, a group of ants can work in an orderly way. They can find food, build complex nests, escape predators and so on.

EPFL researchers' research published in the journal Nature shows that their newly developed robot has the same ability as ants. These robots are simple in design and weigh only 10 grams, but each robot has a variety of motion modes and can move in a variety of terrain.

This kind of robot is named tribots by researchers. It is folded and assembled by multiple thin and light materials. Due to its strange shape, it is also called "three legged robot". And this kind of manufacturing material is completely autonomous and unrestricted. It is also equipped with infrared and proximity sensors for detection and communication. More sensors can also be configured according to the actual application.

At the same time, the ingenious combination makes tribots have five different motion forms: vertical jump, horizontal jump, over obstacles, and traveling on platforms and non flat planes.

"In practical applications, such as emergency search tasks, these robots can act collectively. Moreover, because they have good mobility and communication ability, they can quickly locate targets in large space without relying on GPS or image feedback," the researchers explained

"At the same time, because they can be manufactured and deployed in large quantities, even some" casualties "will not affect the success of the task. With its unique collective intelligence, our micro robots can better adapt to the unknown environment. Therefore, in some tasks, they will be better than larger and more powerful robots."