New robot ants work like real insects to build and dismantle on their own

Harvard researchers built small decentralized robot ants that use light signals to coordinate and can autonomously build or dismantle structures without blueprints or central control.

The system relies on simple local rules such as photormones and stigmergy to organize collective behavior.

The study shows how simple individual behaviors can scale into robust, adaptive swarm intelligence.

Potential applications include hazardous construction, exploration, and other autonomous systems.