Ants and mini robots

S2 Ep 30. Smart phones could become even smarter – thanks to ants, beetles, moths and spiders! A multi-animal special episode, marking the season 2 finale. Patrick explores what could be an insect inspired phone of the future! There’s the story of the fire ants and bark beetles a ...  Show more

S2 Ep 29. Not all butterflies are colourful. The transparent wings of the longtail glasswing butterfly may hold the key to more effective eye implants. This could be of huge benefit to people with glaucoma - the second leading cause of blindness in the world. Get in touch: www.bb ...  Show more

The army ant might be small enough to squash under foot but, make no mistake, it’s a formidable predator. When they club together in their thousands they are a force to be reckoned with. Picture a tiger, comprised of hundreds of thousands of tiny ant-sized units, prowling through ...  Show more

The trap is insidious. But of course it is. It was designed and executed… by ants? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, the ant wars continue as Robert and Joe explore some of the possibility that a few formidable Formicidae species actually lay traps. Learn more about you ...  Show more

The trap is insidious. But of course it is. It was designed and executed… by ants? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, the ant wars continue as Robert and Joe explore some of the possibility that a few formidable Formicidae species actually lay traps. (originally publishe ...  Show more

Today, Ashay Aswale and Tony Lopez shared their work on swarm robotics and what they have learned from ants. Robotic swarms must solve the same problems that eusocial insects do. What if your pheromone trail goes cold? What if you're getting bad information from a bad-actor wi ...