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Robots Assimilate Into Cockroach Society
Posted by
Zonk
on Fri Nov 16, 2007 08:33 PM
from the good-to-see-the-robots-making-new-friends dept.
from the good-to-see-the-robots-making-new-friends dept.
sufijazz writes "Scientists have gotten tiny robots to not only integrate into cockroach society but also control it. 'This experiment in bug peer pressure combined entomology, robotics and the study of ways that complex and even intelligent patterns can arise from simple behavior. Animal behavior research shows that swarms working together can prosper where individuals might fail, and robotics researchers have been experimenting with simple robots that, together, act a little like a swarm.' The BBC also has a video story on this."
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Wait, so... (Score:5, Funny)
-jcr
My experience (Score:2, Funny)
Hey!! We are *NOT* a cockroach society! (Score:3, Funny)
And besides, the article says
Er, never mind.
No, not overlords (Score:5, Interesting)
One conclusion one can draw from this study, coupled with historical precedent in human societies, is that animals come evolutionary pre-programmed to join groups and be subjugated by the rules of said groups, despite better (or alternate) judgment.
Re:No, not overlords (Score:5, Interesting)
Depends on the animal. In social animals, yes. In others (e.g. tigers, bears, moose, spiders), communication will be restricted to mating rituals and that sort of thing. Those methods of communication can of course be mimicked and often are by other species (or sub-species) for their own gain. e.g. orchids and insect mating behavior, moths with "eyes" on their wings etc.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
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Re:No, not overlords (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:No, not overlords (Score:4, Funny)
Good! I'm sick of that meme.
I, for one, welcome our new non-obligatory overlord referencing overlords.
Parent
Nearly perfect (Score:2)
There, fixed that for you.
So does that mean (Score:5, Funny)
Pied Piper anyone? (Score:5, Insightful)
I wonder, if robots can actually control swarms, could we perhaps make them lead the swarms not to world domination, but to some sort of... mishap?
There's gotta be some way to get rid of them.
That is certainly a dark thought (Score:2)
Re:Pied Piper anyone? (Score:5, Interesting)
More interesting, I thought, was that the researchers seemed pissed off when the journalists asked the kind of "how would you apply this?" questions that you just asked.
Parent
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Overheard underneath the stove (Score:5, Funny)
Cockroach A: "I have this theory. About our new leader."
Cockroach B: "This had better not be another one of your retarded colony conspiracies."
Cockroach A: "Well... I don't think he's cockroach. In fact, I have reason to believe he's a robot. Put here by highly intelligent beings for some bizarre purpose... Maybe to lead us all to destruction. Maybe as a test. I don't know. But have you seen him? I mean, with your own compound eyes?"
Cockroach B: "..."
Parent
MOD PARENT UP (Score:2, Funny)
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Is Bush really a human?
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Damn! Where are my mod points when I need them?
There, someone gave you one, I only hope it was an Offtopic mod point you required ;-)
Re:Pied Piper anyone? (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
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This... (Score:5, Funny)
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Simple... (Score:2)
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We're not interested in people. (Score:5, Funny)
but can't you see the tiny robots? (Score:3, Funny)
Usefull application: controlling locust swarm (Score:2)
Cocked Roaches and Buggery!? (Score:4, Funny)
Sounds kinda... insectstuous....
Watch out for mating season. This is the REAL widow-maker. Exoskeleton-crushing sex....from a real sex-bot... I wonder how endowed this bugger is...
Bender did that kind of thing too... or will do (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
He also did that with space bees, sort of. Bzz bzz bzzzt. Bender is great. Deal with it.
Fire up the antennae... (Score:2)
You... will... be... ass-immolate...
So... (Score:4, Insightful)
I for one (Score:2)
Can you think of an easier way to get all the roaches into a Roach Motel?
Pest control (Score:2)
Big headline simple bottomline (Score:5, Funny)
Show me a girl with a miniskirt and over knee stockings and I'll follow her not 60% but 100% of the times.
I Am Cockroach of Borg... (Score:4, Funny)
Do they have salami in Brussels? (Score:2, Insightful)
Skewed (Score:2)
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(hmm...as close to safely call somebody "cock" on
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Squishing roaches (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
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"I, for one, welcome our new insect minions"?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I worked on a dairy farm for a while that had ~100 cows. At milking time the farmer would swing open the gate and walk off into the milking shed, seeing the open gate the (old) dog would trot out and round up the cows by itself. Often there wasn't much for it to do other than stroll along behind the herd because the cows also knew the drill. Not sure how the cows knew what time it was since none of them were wearing watches but they would oft
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That's easy -- their udders are full. Kind of like how you know it's time to go to the bathroom. (I've had the dog's job in a milking operation.)
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I was hired to spend a month or so hacking down thistles[sic] in the pasture, I was at least two promotions away from the dog's job.
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Hey, thanks for the link. I am becoming more and more interested in swarm intelligence, and am thinking of doing my master's project in this field. I found your link extremely interesting, and a good place to start (aside from Kennedy and Eberhart's Swarm Intelligence http://www.swarmintelligence.org/SIBook/SI.php [swarmintelligence.org]).