Taking cues from bottom-up biological networks like those of social insects, Radhika Nagpal helped design an unprecedented “swarm” of ant-like robots.
Wyss Core Faculty member, Radhika Nagpal, Ph.D, is speaking at the 2017 TED conference in Vancouver, Canada. The TED conference, which features “TED Talks” given by preeminent thinkers and practitioners from around the world, is a week-long event aimed at exploring the most pressing questions of our time and to imagine what our shared future might look like. From how we’ll work to how we’ll connect and interact to how we’ll collectively thrive in a world full of change.
With a swarm of 1,024 robots inspired by the design of ant colonies, Radhika Nagpal and her research team have redefined expectations for self-organizing robotic systems. Guided by algorithms, Nagpal’s shockingly simple robots guide themselves into a variety of shapes — an ability that, brought to scale, might lead to applications like disaster rescue, space exploration and beyond.
