Engineers develop blueprint for robot swarms, mimicking bee and ant construction

Engineers develop blueprint for robot swarms, mimicking bee and ant construction

Bees, ants and termites don't need blueprints. They may have queens, but none of these species breed architects or construction managers. Each insect worker, or drone, simply responds to cues like warmth or the presence or absence of building material. Unlike human manufacturing, the grand design emerges simply from the collective action of the drones—no central planning required.

Ant Evolution Traced Through Genomic Reshuffling Across 100 Million Years

Aristotle praised the political organization of ant colonies while ancient Chinese Daoists appreciated ants as illustrative symbols showing how ephemeral human ambitions and power are.