![]() Their goal is to create machines that not only infiltrate animal groups but also influence them, changing how fish swim, birds fly, and bees care for their young. The demonstration, dubbed the LEURRE project and conducted by a team of European researchers, validated a radical idea-that robots and animals could be merged into a “biohybrid” society, with biological and technological organisms forming a cohesive unit.Ī handful of scientists have now built robots that can socially integrate into animal communities. They were tiny mobile robots, doused in cockroach pheromones and programmed to trick the living critters into following their lead. What the cockroaches didn’t seem to realize was that their new, light-loving leaders weren’t fellow insects at all. But when the intruders headed for a brighter shelter, the rest of the roaches followed. Nocturnal creatures, cockroaches normally avoid light. Instead, they began to actively shape the group’s behavior. ![]() ![]() The newcomers weren’t content to just sit on the sidelines, however. ![]() A brief investigation revealed that the interlopers smelled like cockroaches, and so they were welcomed into the cockroach community. ![]() Several years ago, a group of American cockroaches discovered four strangers in their midst. ![]()
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