Scientists build cheap microrobots that mimic insect swarms

Scientists from the University of Lincoln in England and China’s Tsinghua University have built autonomous microrobots that together can mimic a swarm of insects. The aim of the study is to find technical solutions for common complex tasks.

Such scenarios have mostly been simulated in the past, according to the University of Lincoln, because the high production costs of robots and hardware problems stood in the way of a physical experiment. However, the results of those simulations were inaccurate, because the researchers were unable to sufficiently mimic the external conditions.

Scientists from the University of Lincoln in England and Tsinghua University in China have now developed a technique, called Colias, after a genus of butterflies. It is an open platform, which can be used to mimic the group behavior of bee swarms. In such experiments, light is usually used to control the robots. Bees also respond to light, according to the report. The microrobots have a diameter of 4 centimeters and can move on wheels at 35 centimeters per second. They are equipped with different types of infrared sensors, which allows them to communicate with each other at a distance of 0.5 centimeters to 2 meters. Thanks to separate sensors and an independent processor, the robots can also detect obstacles.

There are reportedly no high costs associated with creating a Colias system. The production of a microrobot would cost about 25 pounds, converted about 32 euros. The individual robots are therefore simple, but the power would lie in carrying out assignments together, by giving each robot a specific task.

In the future, the research team wants to increase the robots’ vision by integrating faster processors into the devices, which could improve the bio-inspired vision mechanism. The platform should also be suitable for other swarming behaviour, such as that of fish and birds. Researchers at Harvard University have previously conducted a similar project.