Robotic ants could be our future worker in factories

 The factories in future can be operated by tiny machines that can be working together in swarms rather than human and specialized robots, such as these butterflies and robotic ants designed by Festo(German Engineering firm).

Festo, which supplies automation products to factories around the world has created swarms of robotic ants.This company runs research with universities to create technological machines with commercial application.
The swarms of ants which can work together to accomplish tasks and move objects too heavy. The size of the robotic ants are like human hand that work together and be the future of factory production systems.

The German technology firm says it’s not just the unusual anatomy of real-world ants that inspired the bionic or robotic version.The collective intelligence of an ant colony was also something they wanted to replicate.
The robotic ants can cooperate and coordinate all their actions and movements to achieve a specific aim and in the same way  the individual ants complete their tasks for the whole colony. The company also says that, the future production systems will be based on individual components that can adjust themselves to different production demands by communicating with each other.The robotic ants can also be able to perform complete task such as transporting large and heavy loads that they wont be able to achieve individually but only by working together.

Function of the Robotic ant:

At the front of its head ,the stereo camera and floor sensor allow the ant to work out its location and identify objects to be grabbed by grippers.Charges for the lithium batteries power the ants movements. And in the abdomen, the radio module allows the ants to communicate with each other wirelessly and that should be similar to natural counterparts. The robotic ants have six articulated legs.
The ants are constructed as unique too.The structure of the robotic ants are made from a 3D printed plastic powder  and can be melted layer by layer with a laser. On the top of the body, the circuitry is also 3D printed and these two combined for the very first time.

Without using more energy the ceramic legs and pincers are flexible actuators that move quickly and precisely. Its length is 13.5 centimeter and it weighs 105 grams.
This application is otherwise called ‘piezo’ technology which make the machine walk and the working pincers  help them latch onto objects. Festo also works on transferring natural phenomena techniques and equipments.
The technology says that the factories of the future will have to produce more customized products, means that they will have to adapt to different production requirements. Festo also says that “In April the robotic ants is the world’s biggest industrial technology fair”.

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