Self-Assembling Robots Using Flying Drones 33
mikejuk writes with an excerpt from I Programmer on a neat swarm of robots that use flying drones to build a map of their environment: "How can a swarm of robots get a global picture of its environment? Easy it simply sends up a drone. We are used to thinking of drones as being used for surveillance by humans operating on the ground, but what is good for humans is good for robots too. The drone can view the overall terrain and run simulations of what configurations of robots could best traverse the slopes. Once it has worked out how to assemble the robots into a single machine the drone has to communicate the plan to the swarm using a protocol based on the colored lights they all have. The ground robots adopt a random color and the drone selects the one it wants to communicate with by displaying the same color. They then repeat the process until only one robot has been selected i.e the drone follows the color changes of the selected robot. Of course if you don't like the idea of human drones flying over your head you may not be happy about robots getting in on the act as well..."
Original paper
Rendezvous with Rama (Score:2)
It sounds like Arthur C Clarke's work ;-)
Octo-spiders anyone?
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Now I'm going to have to re-read that book! I have it somewhere... or HAD it at least. Great book. Too bad the sequels were just aweful.
oblig (Score:2)
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I, for one, welcome them.
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They demand being called by their proper name!
Skynet, I will do your bidding and kill the unbelievers!
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Amazing (Score:3, Interesting)
So this is how it all begins... Although I did get a little chuckle when the first robot attempting the hill climb took a tumble, this is amazing and I can't wait to see this technology applied to the real world. The future really does seem to be an interesting place...
ending rocked (Score:4, Insightful)
that's a great use of tech, get it to push a big load of junk food to us on the couch. =)
In Soviet Skynet.. (Score:5, Funny)
Red Planet (Score:1)
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What? (Score:2)
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I don't see the word "manned" anywhere in the summary or article. However, a distinction can be drawn between remotely human controlled drones and fully autonomous drones. It's actually more of a continuum than a sharp divide, however.
Self assembling? (Score:2)
This could revolutionize Ikea!
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The Goo is here! (Score:2)
I for one (Score:4)
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Re:Light communication ok.. but not exactly effici (Score:4, Informative)
This is to determine which one is positioned where.
Wifi doesn't help with that. Even GPS doesn't help here because we're talking about very small relative distances. But the challenge and commands might well happen over wifi, bluetooth, or as is popular in these kinds of things, point to multipoint with xbee modules.
Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez (Score:2)
This is basically that book, using lights instead of scent detection. I think the scent angle has more promise, doesn't need LOS, but then again you're at the mercy of air currents. Oh, and we're all doomed, m'kay?
It's a fun read, btw. While the characters are formulaic, Suarez is one of those rare authors that doesn't talk down to his audience when it comes to science.
Its not called skynet for nothing... (Score:2)
....Hey.... somebody had to say it.....again