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The developers, German technology firm Festo, say it's not
just the unusual anatomy of real-world ants that inspired the
bionic version - the collective intelligence of an ant colony
was also something they wanted to replicate.
The bionic ants cooperate and coordinate their actions and
movements to achieve a common aim - in the same way individual
ants complete tasks for the whole colony. Festo says that in the
future production systems will be based on intelligent
individual components that adjust themselves to different
production demands by communicating with each other.
The ants are able to complete complex tasks, like transporting
large, heavy loads, that they wouldn't be able to achieve
individually by working together.
The robot features a stereo camera and a floor sensor that
together allow the ant to work out its location and identify
objects to be grabbed by grippers at the front of its "head".
The antennae double up as chargers for the lithium batteries
that power the ants' movements. A radio module in the abdomen
allows the ants to communicate with each other wirelessly. Just
like their natural counterparts, the ants have six articulated
legs.
Festo says the way the ants are constructed is unique too. The
bodies of the bionic ants are made from a 3D printed plastic
powder melted layer by layer with a laser. The circuitry is also
3D printed on top of the body. Festo says this is the first time
the techniques have been combined.
The ceramic legs and pincers are flexible actuators that move
quickly and precisely without using much energy. Again Festo
says the application of this so-called 'piezo' technology to
miniature robots like its bionic ants is a first.
The bionic ants are part of the developer's Bionic Learning
Network. Festo works on transferring natural phenomena to
engineering techniques and equipment.
The technology firm says the factories of the future will have
to produce customized products, meaning that they will have to
adapt to different production requirements.
Festo plans to exhibit its robotic ants in April at the world's
biggest industrial technology fair, Hannover Messe, where the
German engineering company will also show off other recent
creations like cooperative artificial butterflies.
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