Comment Re:More correctly called swarm robotics (Score 1) 83
Related, yes. But not really the same - a different philosophy. (I'm on the project - though not speaking officially, etc, etc).
Swarm robots are many small independant robots which can work in groups (usually using some kind of behavoural control) to carry out a job. Also I think every swarm robot I recall seeing has been wheeled (though this is a matter of implementation, not a theoretical constraint).
A modular self re-configurable robot is one robot that is assembled out of many small pieces that lock together in some fashion. The control may be distributed, but is likely to be coordinated
and deterministic (rather than emergent behaviour).
Compare a swarm of ants vs the liquid-metal man in _Terminator II_.
Both have common advatages though: robustness (if one fails, then there are many more to replace it); versatility (it's not a fixed monolithic machine); and cheapness (completely composed of many small identical parts, hopefully cheap due to ecconomies of scale).
Swarm robots are many small independant robots which can work in groups (usually using some kind of behavoural control) to carry out a job. Also I think every swarm robot I recall seeing has been wheeled (though this is a matter of implementation, not a theoretical constraint).
A modular self re-configurable robot is one robot that is assembled out of many small pieces that lock together in some fashion. The control may be distributed, but is likely to be coordinated
and deterministic (rather than emergent behaviour).
Compare a swarm of ants vs the liquid-metal man in _Terminator II_.
Both have common advatages though: robustness (if one fails, then there are many more to replace it); versatility (it's not a fixed monolithic machine); and cheapness (completely composed of many small identical parts, hopefully cheap due to ecconomies of scale).
