Silicon society

According to Dr Torbjorn Dahl of the robotic intelligence laboratory at Newport Business School, the aim is to reproduce the behaviour pattern of ants and people in robots. The ‘society’ currently consists of eight mini robots, with plans to increase this number to 25, which are being programmed to live as a self-regulating society. Dr Dahl explained; “By studying ant and human societies we hope to implement this behaviour into robots so that they become a self organising community that functions without top-down control.” Dahl hopes that, like worker ants, the robots’ built in behavioural patterns will enable them to not only do tasks, but to also realise what else needs to be done. Equipped with spatial awareness, a robot could then communicate and learn how to improve its group by filling the roles of others as well as the task it has been assigned. “The results of this research could impact upon the organisation of towns, villages and cities,” added Dr Dahl, “as well as improving automation in factories so that there is minimal human input required.”