Bionic ants that work in 'colonies' to complete tasks could be coming to a factory near you
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Ants may be the perfect workers - they share chores, solve complex problems and work to the death without complaint.
And now the behaviour and appearance of nature's most diligent insect has been emulated in plastic and metal, with the creation of BionicANTS.
German engineers have crafted machines that mimic the cooperative behaviour of a colony, because the robots can make individual decisions as well as work as a team.
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German engineers have crafted mechanical ants (shown) that mimic the cooperative behaviour of a colony because the robots can make individual decisions as well as work as a team
The robots (pictured), which are around the size of a human hand, have been developed by German engineering firm Festo
The robots, which are around the size of a human hand, have been developed by German engineering firm Festo.
And they are capable of manoeuvring objects, hinting that such robots could one day replace humans as factory workers.
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The firm said: 'For the first time, the cooperative behaviour of the creatures has also been transferred to the world of technology using complex control algorithms.'
The machines work together to complete difficult tasks, such as manipulating a large object, as real ants do in nature.
They do this by using a stereo camera fitted in each robot's head which helps an individual ant locate and identify target objects.
An ant can then pick it up using serrated grippers below its head.
Sensors enable an ant to be aware of its surroundings and the robotic insects communicate over a wireless network to coordinate their actions.
The robots have plastic, 3D printed bodies with electric circuits printed on top, (pictured) while their legs and grippers are ceramic actuators which can bend precisely and easily using little energy
'Like their natural role models, the BionicANTs work together under clear rules,' said Dr Ing Heinrich Frontzek, head of future concepts at the firm.
'They communicate with each other and coordinate both their actions and movements.
'Each ant makes its decisions autonomously, but in doing so is always subordinate to the common objective and thereby plays its part towards solving the task at hand.'
AMAZON'S ROBOT COMPETITION
Amazon has launched a competition encouraging engineers to create its next generation of shelf-picking robots.
Bots will battle it out at the ICRA conference in Seattle in May.
'The challenge combines object recognition, pose recognition, grasp planning, compliant manipulation, motion planning, task planning, task execution, and error detection and recovery,' Amazon said.
Participating robots will earn points by locating products on shelves, retrieving them and putting them into cardboard boxes ready to be sent to customers.
Points will be deducted for dropped or damaged good and the team that creates the winning robot will win $26,000 (£17,463).
Amazon currently uses robots by Kiva Systems to fetch items so its human workforces doesn't have to walk as far in its vast warehouses.
But its machines can't pick and pack products yet.
The robots have plastic, 3D printed bodies with electric circuits printed on top, New Scientist reported, while their legs and grippers are ceramic actuators which can bend precisely and easily using little energy.
The aim of the project is to create intelligent bots that could work in factories, taking over production jobs from humans.
This is not as far-fetched as it may seem. Amazon already uses an army of 15,000 robots in its huge warehouses to pick up items ordered by customers.
'Each ant makes its decisions autonomously, but in doing so is always subordinate to the common objective and thereby plays its part towards solving the task at hand (pictured)' the company said
The BionicANTS will go on show at Hannover Messe - the world's largest industrial technology fair - in April, along with other creations such as the firm's robotic butterflies (pictured)
While they are not as cute as the ants and work alongside humans, they are able to deliver heavy stacks of toys, books and other products to employees to pack.
The BionicANTS will go on show at Hannover Messe - the world's largest industrial technology fair - in April, along with other creations such as the firm's robotic butterflies.
Like the ants, the eMotion Butterflies are designed to work together and can fly autonomously without bumping into each other by using lightweight cameras and an intelligent guiding and monitoring system.
'The communication and sensor technology used, which constitutes an indoor GPS system, enables the butterflies to exhibit collective behaviour without danger of collision,' the company said.
Ten cameras installed in the room record the butterflies using infrared markers.
They transmit this position data to a computer, which coordinates the artificial insects' flight.
The intelligent networking system creates a guidance and monitoring system to stop the butterflies colliding, which could be used for drones working in future factories.
The machines work together to complete difficult tasks, such as manipulating a large object, as real ants do in nature. Sensors enable an ant to be aware of its surroundings and the robotic insects communicate over a wireless network to coordinate their actions
Like the ants, the eMotion Butterflies (pictured) are designed to work together and can fly autonomously without bumping into each other by using lightweight cameras and an intelligent guising and monitoring system
AND THERE'S A ROBOT THAT CAN CATCH TARGETS LIKE A CHAMELEON
Festo has also developed a robot inspired by the chameleon, called the FlexShapeGripper.
The colourful lizard is able to put its tongue over prey and securely enclose it - a process that the robot mimics.
It uses the principle to grip a wide selection of objects in a form-fitting manner using an elastic silicone cap and can even pick up several objects, such as ball bearings, at once.
The machine doesn't physically resemble a chameleon and could be used on a production line.
'The chameleon is able to catch a variety of different insects by putting its tongue over the respective prey and securely enclosing it,' the firm says.
'The FlexShapeGripper uses this principle to grip the widest range of objects in a form-fitting manner.
The robot uses the same technique to grip a wide selection of objects in a form-fitting manner using an elastic silicone cap and can even pick up several objects, such as ball bearings, at once (pictured)
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