Self-learning swarm robots

Robot swarm, COCORO

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Speak of harbingers of replicators! (Fans of Stargate know what I'm talking about.)

Gizmag announced today that Swarming robot boats demonstrate self-learning. According to the article,

Instead of using a central computer or programming each robot individually, the swarm operates on what the team calls a Darwinian approach. In other words, each robot is equipped with a neural network that mimics the operations of a living brain. The robots are given a simple set of instructions about how to operate in relationship to one another as well as mission goals.

The robots are then allowed to interact with one another in a simulated environment and those that display successful mission behavior are allowed to proceed. The "fittest" robots from the simulations are then tested in the real world.

Swarm robotics has been attracting attention, especially for military applications. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency under the U.S. Department of Defense) is responsible for the development of emerging technology for use by the military; it had an ongoing Robotics Challenge from 2012 to 2015. The site War on the Rocks has a 6-part series, titled The Coming Swarm, on the topic.

Science Direct published a research paper on Research Advance in Swarm Robotics that looks at how scientists are using observations of swarms in nature to advance understanding of swarm intelligence. For more information on swarm intelligence, take a look at a report on the European project called COCORO (Collective Cognitive Robots) in COCORO: robot swarms use collective cognition to perform tasks.

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Examples of swarming behavior in nature, ScienceDirect

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And for you entertainment, here's a video from the Stargate SG1 Channel of our dauntless heroes battling the replicators.

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-- Marge