Robots with a mind of their ownShow Video Details ↓ [silence]Narrator: Until now it's been the stuff of science fiction. Mini robots joining together, a bit like Lego, to form 1 big machine capable of performing tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans. Hundreds of engineers from the UK are working alongside colleagues in Europe to make that vision a reality. Here in his box of tricks is an early prototype of how such technology would work. Engineer: The aim of this project, assembling the project, is to develop a swarm of robots, a swarm of robots that can physically self-assemble. What we want to do in the next 5 years is to design the robots so that they can physically join and create a kind of 3-dimensional artificial organism. Narrator: And this mock-up shows how the swarm robots could actually operate together. The hope is that, given time, they would manage their own hardware and software, even self-heal when damaged. And there are some ambitious aims for how the technology could be used, such as releasing the robots into collapsed buildings. They could work alongside emergency workers to search for survivors, open up communication channels, move rubble, even apply first aid. But with a mind of their own, should we be worried? Reporter: Is there no risk that the robots may take over? Engineer: No, I don't think there's any risk at all of that. Narrator: And maybe those fears are misplaced as the prototype is yet to learn how to manage a table-top. But with European Union funding it's hoped a little bit of science fiction will become a reality as early as 2025. [silence] |