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The Swarmbots Are Coming

Posted by michael on from the make-room-make-room dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "For its latest issue, Wired Magazine asked several experts to tell us how the convergence between technology and biology was transforming their respective fields, from transportation to art, and even redefining life as we know it. In this special report, Living Machines, you'll discover that the nonliving world is very much alive. This summary is focused on one of the seven articles, which talks about ant algorithms and swarmbots. "Typically, a swarm bot is a collection of simple robots (s-bots) that self-organize according to algorithms inspired by the bridge-building and task-allocation activities of ants." And ant algorithms are used today to solve human problems especially in distribution and logistics."

10 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. yeah yeah .... by jiffah · · Score: 4, Funny

    and we all eventually become batteries after we scorch the sky...

    1. Re:yeah yeah .... by sik0fewl · · Score: 1, Funny

      Well, I feel safe for now, as long as they're just doing ant algorithms.

      It's when they start algoritms for big, muscular Austrian men with deep accents that I'll be scared.

      Very scared.

      --
      I remember when legal used to mean lawful, now it means some kind of loophole. - Leo Kessler
  2. *** BAD PUN ALERT *** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Swarmbots really byte.

    1. Re:*** BAD PUN ALERT *** by Metryq · · Score: 3, Funny

      I knew a myrmecologist in school. Everytime I saw him I'd ask, "how's your aunt?"

  3. I for one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    ...welcome our new swarm overlords.

  4. Non-news by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Funny

    you'll discover that the nonliving world is very much alive

    We all know that.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  5. lasers by bucklesl · · Score: 3, Funny

    Cool, I'll finally be able to get an ant with a laser without cheating. The spiders better watch out!

    --
    help fill in hidden movie endings @ End of the Credits
  6. Imagine... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...a Beowulf cluster of swarmbots could really fuck up a picnic all while processing an assload of seti@home workunits.

  7. startling conclusion? by iminplaya · · Score: 3, Funny

    Life isn't the exception, but the rule.

    All you have to do is look at all the weeds that grow through the cracks in the sidewalk to come to that conclusion :-)

    --
    What?
  8. um... by Savatte · · Score: 2, Funny

    Typically, a swarm bot is a collection of simple robots (s-bots) that self-organize according to algorithms inspired by the bridge-building and task-allocation activities of ants

    So they've created artificially intelligent managers. Well I guess this is better than the real thing.