termite-robotThere is nothing quite like nature itself to provide the kind of inspiration for humanity to improve itself. After all, was it not the thought of soaring in the skies with the rest of the birds that led man to create the aeroplane? Well, this time around, termites are the catalyst for robots which are able to stack up blocks without the need for a central plan, and we are not even talking about a random mess here, but rather, simple structures coming to life along the way. Scientists have used the way termites work as a model to develop tiny robots which are able to churn out a simple structure without the need for any prior blueprint.

This research team from Harvard has managed to assemble tiny robots and developed software that enables them to build something sans any form of supervision. Doing away with the need for centralized command, the robots will be guided via simple rules, where they interact with their environment, tools, and one other. The ultimate aim of this particular idea would be to enable the robots to swarm across various places where the risk factor is imminently high for humans, such as at war torn zones or to project things even further down the road, in outer space.

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