Swarm Robotics

The power of the swarm?  Collective application to a task?  Sharing tasks. Data and path aware solutions? 

Researchers Successfully Build Four-Legged Swarm Robots  By University of Notre Dame News, October 20, 2021

The University of Notre Dame's Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin constructed four-legged swarm robots capable of traversing rough terrain and performing complex tasks collectively.

For a study co-authored with the Georgia Institute of Technology's Daniel I. Goldman, Ozkan-Aydin theorized that physically linking individual robots could augment their collective mobility and help them overcome challenges.

She three-dimensionally-printed the robots, each incorporating a lithium polymer battery, a microcontroller, a front light sensor, and two magnetic touch sensors so the robots could link up.

When an individual robot got stuck, it emitted a signal to other robots, which connected with it to provide support and overcome obstacles while operating as one.

From University of Notre Dame News    View Full Article  

New Lab to Tackle Ethical Implications of Tech

Another effort in the space.   Good to have multiple efforts addressing this problem to get competing analyses and solutions.

Notre Dame, IBM Launch Tech Ethics Lab to Tackle the Ethical Implications of Technology
Notre Dame News
Patrick Gibbons
June 30, 2020

The University of Notre Dame and IBM have launched the Notre Dame-IBM Tech Ethics Lab to address ethical concerns raised by the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, and other advanced technologies. Funded by a 10-year, $20-million commitment from IBM, the lab will operate as a separate unit within Notre Dame's Technology Ethics Center (ND-TEC). The goal is for academia and industry to collaborate on evidence-based ethics frameworks to address new and emerging technologies. Said ND-TEC's Mark McKenna, "Rather than following the 'ready, fire, aim' approach sometimes used in developing new technologies, we hope to provide resources that allow developers and industry to create better, more responsible technologies that positively benefit society."  ... '