ACTUATION AND (Swarm) ROBOTICS

A brain needs input and feedback, but it also needs to be able to act and react, in order to learn and achieve goals. Any artificially intelligent system therefore needs to be able to interact with and influence its environment. Robots can function as the embodiment of such a system.

Engineers in robotics often take their inspiration from nature, and model their projects on either humans, or large animals. Each design has its advantages, but also its drawbacks.

Swarms

We would rather see robotics research take its inspiration from smaller organisms: bacteria. These have the ability to group together if necessary, and perform tasks as a colony that they could not carry out as an individual.

Swarm or modular robotics uses small autonomous robots, that each perform their own tasks. However, if the robots need to overcome obstacles or rough terrain, they can group together or combine their powers to perform a complicated task. An assembled robot or a swarm thus functions as a distributed system: it is robust, because it does not rely on a single robot, but rather uses the combined strength of the group.

If the situation calls for it, the assembled robot can separate into smaller entities that can for instance cover a much bigger surface in a search and rescue operation.

In this way, future robots can truly become an extension to people. They can be our eyes and ears, by scouting large areas in disassembled form. Or they can be our hands and feet, in any assembled form that is applicable in a specific situation.

Keywords:

> evolution

> metamorphosis

> autonomy

> assembling

> bio-inspired engineering