New robot swarm builds resilient structures without human interference

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a novel swarm robotics system inspired by insect colonies, enabling robots to build resilient honeycomb-like structures without centralized plans, blueprints, or coordination. Mimicking how bees, ants, and termites construct complex nests through local environmental cues, these robots follow simple mathematical rules to self-assemble by reacting only to their immediate surroundings. This decentralized approach allows the swarm to continue building even if individual robots fail, enhancing resilience and adaptability in unpredictable conditions. The research team fine-tuned the swarm’s behavior through extensive simulations, adjusting parameters such as speed and turn angle to influence the geometry and toughness of the resulting structures. Their findings build on prior insights that introducing disorder into honeycomb lattices can increase material toughness, demonstrating that swarm behavior can autonomously generate such beneficial variations. While still primarily in simulation, early physical prototypes have been created, and future work aims to translate the system to real-world applications, potentially using electrochemical methods to grow metal structures. This approach represents a