Researchers at Georgia Tech’s GRITS Lab recently developed a technology that programs robots to follow a beam of light, controllable with your fingertip. The development could allow for a swarm of thousands of robots to report to a specific location, avoiding all obstacles along the way (including one another), without any necessary programming. (via Georgia Tech)
Since the advent of drones, many thought the tiny robots would immediately take the place of military intelligence on the ground. Years have passed, and drones still have not replaced humans. Part of the reason may be that its difficult to command a swarm of drones to fly to specific coordinates without intercommunication between the tiny robots, and programming each one to allow for that type of communication is time costly. Georgia Tech’s GRITS Lab, however, may have solved that problem.
What if a swarm of robots could follow the movement of a laser beam? That’s the question GRITS Lab scientists asked themselves. The swarm robotics researchers decided instead of programming thousands of robots to follow intricate coordinates, they would program them to follow a beam of light while avoiding collision with one another and their surroundings. The destination of that beam is entirely controllable from a connected tablet.
Operating the synced tablet, a user can control where the beam of light appears with the touch of a finger. If the person wants to send two swarms of robots to different locations, he can simply touch those locations with two fingers on the tablet interface. The swarm will split into two equal pods and follow the beams of light, avoiding any obstacles, including one another.
The implications of the technology are huge, as it bypasses the need to individually program drones for surveillance. During an emergency, an operator can command a team of drones to scope out the distressed area, keeping responders safe from a potentially dangerous situation. The military can also use the technology to gain intelligence without putting human lives at risk. The potential is limitless.
Researchers at GRITS Lab hope to develop robots that can work together independently to execute complex missions and tasks. The swarming robot division takes this a step further, working to create robots that can move efficiently as a unit, without laborious programming. There is no word on if or when the technology will be incorporated into market-ready products, but the capability is there. Now it’s only a matter of time.
C
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