Swarms Of Termite-Inspired Robots May One Day Replace Construction Workers

These days it is possible to create robots that can work as employees. Using robots to perform jobs that have traditionally been given to humans is already occurring faster than you may think. However, the industrial use of robots is not taking place without controversy. Both experts as well as regular Joe’s are claiming that robots are hurting the economy by putting humans out of work. Then again, many corporate officials claim that the recent advances in robotic technology are saving significant amounts of money. Of course, robots do not demand a paycheck and they can work faster without needing regular breaks.

Whatever your opinion on this matter may be, there is no doubt that more hard working humans will be replaced by robots in the future. In fact, now even construction workers may have to worry about job security as modern technology has made robots capable of constructing homes and buildings. You many find it surprising that robots can be made to perform feats as complicated as building homes. But, scientists have modeled these new robot-builders after nature’s greatest architects–termites.

Experts working in a variety of tech industries are claiming that termite-inspired robots can create better quality homes at faster and cheaper rates than humans. A few years back experts imagined large-sized devices, like 3-D printers, as ideal home-builders. But, now researchers are focusing on developing a large amount of tiny robots to be used for home construction. Some prototypes of such robots have already been developed.

Researchers Dr. Justin Werfel of Harvard and Dr. Kirstin Petersen of Cornell have studied termite behavior in order to construct advanced robots that may soon be used in the construction industry. Termites are capable of building the largest structures in nature when considering their tiny body size. Although, the two researchers have a long way to go before perfecting their robotic termite designs, they want to eventually develop “swarming” robots that can build gigantic structures without having to first develop architectural blueprints.

Do you think that robots can be designed to mimic termite behavior with the precision that the two above mentioned researchers have in mind?