Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com - @BednarChuck Drawing inspiration from the cooperative behavior displayed by ants at work, a German firm has developed 3D-printed versions of the highly organized insects that can collaborate on tasks. With their new line of BionicANTs, the staff at Esslingen am Neckar-based automation company Festo have combined complex control algorithms, sensors, and wireless control systems to create 3D printed ants that Gizmodo claims “scuttle around much like the real thing.” These aren’t tiny robots, either – each of them is approximately the same size as a human hand, according to New Scientist. They feature a body made from plastic and have a stereo camera in the head of each ant’s head that allow it to determine its location and to identify different objects that could be seized using gripping devices located beneath its chin. [STORY: Ants depend on tiny neck joint to do heavy lifting] The body of these ant drones in constructed entirely through additive manufacturing, while circuits are overlaid on top using a machine.
Read more about 3D-printed robotic ants: The future workforce?
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