Robot-Ants That Can Jump, Communicate
with Each Other and Work Together
From Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de
Lausanne
July 10, 2019 -- Individually, ants have
only so much strength and intelligence. However, as a colony, they can use
complex strategies to complete sophisticated tasks and evade larger predators.
At EPFL, robotics researchers in
Professor Jamie Paik's Laboratory have reproduced this phenomenon, developing
tiny robots that display minimal physical intelligence on an individual level
but that are able to communicate and act collectively. Despite being simple in
design and weighing only 10 grams, each robot has multiple locomotion modes to
navigate any type of surface. Collectively, they can quickly detect and
overcome obstacles and move objects much larger and heavier than themselves.
The related research has been published in Nature.
Robots inspired by trap-jaw ants
These three-legged, T-shaped origami
robots are called Tribots. They can be assembled in only a few minutes by
folding a stack of thin, multi-material sheets, making them suitable for mass
production.
Completely autonomous and untethered, Tribots are equipped with
infrared and proximity sensors for detection and communication purposes. They
could accommodate even more sensors depending on the application.
"Their movements are modeled on
those of Odontomachus ants. These insects normally crawl, but to escape a
predator, they snap their powerful jaws together to jump from leaf to
leaf," says Zhenishbek Zhakypov, the first author. The Tribots replicate
this catapult mechanism through an elegant origami design that combines
multiple shape-memory alloy actuators. As a result, a single robot can produce
five distinct locomotion gaits: vertical jumping, horizontal jumping,
somersaulting to clear obstacles, walking on textured terrain and crawling on
flat surfaces -- just like these creatively resilient ants.
Roles: leader, worker and explorer
Despite having the same anatomy, each
robot is assigned a specific role depending on the situation. 'Explorers'
detect physical obstacles in their path, such as objects, valleys and
mountains. After detecting an obstacle, they inform the rest of the group.
Then, the 'leader' gives the instructions. The 'workers,' meanwhile, pool their
strength to move objects. "Each Tribot, just like Odontomachus ants, can
have different roles. However, they can also take on new roles instantaneously
when faced with a new mission or an unknown environment, or even when other
members get lost. This goes beyond what the real ants can do," says Paik.
Future applications
In practical situations, such as an
emergency search mission, Tribots could be deployed en masse. And thanks to
their multi-locomotive and multi-agent communication capabilities, they could
locate a target quickly over a large surface without relying on GPS or visual
feedback. "Since they can be manufactured and deployed in large numbers,
having some 'casualties' would not affect the success of the mission,"
adds Paik."
"With their unique collective
intelligence, our tiny robots can demonstrate better adaptability to unknown
environments; therefore, for certain missions, they would outperform larger,
more powerful robots."
Story
Source:
Materials provided by Ecole
Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.
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