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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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These Robots Can Build Entire Structures Together Just Like Ants

When we think about teamwork, we often imagine human collaboration—meetings, planning, and leadership. But one of the most powerful examples of teamwork exists in nature, and it comes from one of the smallest creatures on Earth: ants. Despite having tiny brains and no central control, ants can build massive, highly organized, and climate-controlled structures. They do this without blueprints, instructions, or supervisors.

Now, scientists are taking inspiration from these natural systems to build the next generation of intelligent machines.

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) have developed a group of cooperative robots that behave much like ants. These robots can organize themselves to build and dismantle structures—without any central command system. Instead, they rely on simple rules and environmental signals to guide their actions.

This groundbreaking research, published in PRX Life, shows how complex tasks can emerge from simple behaviors. It also opens new possibilities for the future of robotics, construction, and even space exploration.

Learning from Nature’s Simplest Engineers

Ant colonies are a perfect example of decentralized intelligence. Each ant follows basic rules and responds to its immediate surroundings. Yet together, they achieve remarkable feats—like building intricate nests or finding the shortest paths to food sources.

The research team, led by Professor L. Mahadevan, has long been fascinated by such natural systems. His work explores how simple physical and biological rules can create complex patterns, not only in ant colonies but also in structures like brain folds and even the human gut.

In this new study, the team focused on replicating how ants work together using robots. Their goal was to understand how collective behavior emerges—and how it can be applied to machines.

Introducing “Exbodied Intelligence”

One of the most interesting ideas from this research is a concept called “exbodied intelligence.”

Traditionally, intelligence is thought to exist within an individual—like a brain processing information. But in systems like ant colonies, intelligence is not limited to a single agent. Instead, it emerges from the interaction between individuals and their environment.

In simple terms, the environment becomes part of the thinking process.

For example, ants leave chemical trails called pheromones that guide other ants. These trails act like shared memory, helping the colony coordinate without direct communication.

Similarly, the robots in this study interact with their environment to make decisions collectively. Intelligence, therefore, is not just inside the robots—it exists in the system as a whole.

How the Robots Work: Simple Rules, Complex Results

The robots developed by the researchers are called RAnts (robotic ants). Each robot operates using just a few simple rules:

  • Follow signals in the environment

  • Pick up and carry building materials

  • Drop materials when certain conditions are met

Instead of pheromones, these robots use something called “photormones.” These are light-based signals that act as digital versions of chemical trails.

Each robot can sense changes in light intensity and respond accordingly. As robots move, they also modify the light field, creating a continuous feedback loop between the robots and their environment.

This process allows the robots to coordinate their actions without directly communicating with each other.

The Power of Stigmergy

The system used by these robots is inspired by a biological concept called stigmergy.

Stigmergy is a mechanism where individuals communicate indirectly by modifying their environment. Ants, for example, leave pheromone trails that influence the behavior of other ants.

In the robotic system:

  • Robots change the environment (through light signals)

  • Other robots respond to those changes

  • This creates coordinated group behavior

Even though each robot follows simple instructions, the group as a whole displays highly organized behavior.

From Chaos to Structure: How Buildings Emerge

One of the most fascinating outcomes of this system is how structures form spontaneously.

At first, robots move randomly. But over time, they begin to cluster in certain areas. These clusters act as starting points—called nucleation sites—where construction begins.

This happens due to a phenomenon known as trapping instability. Robots get temporarily “stuck” in areas where signals are strong. As more robots gather in these regions, construction speeds up.

Gradually, organized structures start to form—without any plan or leader.

This shows how order can emerge from chaos when simple rules are applied consistently.

Switching Between Building and Breaking

Another remarkable feature of these robotic swarms is their flexibility.

By adjusting just two parameters, researchers can change the behavior of the entire system:

  • Cooperation strength: How strongly robots follow environmental signals

  • Deposition rate: Whether robots add or remove material

By tuning these factors, the swarm can switch between:

  • Building new structures

  • Dismantling existing ones

This adaptability is crucial for real-world applications, where conditions can change rapidly.

Why This Matters: Real-World Applications

This research is not just theoretical—it has significant practical potential.

1. Construction in Dangerous Environments

Robotic swarms could be used to build structures in places that are unsafe for humans, such as disaster zones or areas with toxic conditions.

2. Space Exploration

In the future, swarms of robots could be sent to other planets to build habitats or infrastructure before humans arrive.

3. Autonomous Systems

These findings can improve how autonomous machines coordinate, making them more efficient and resilient.

4. Understanding Nature

The research also helps scientists better understand how collective behavior works in biological systems, from insects to human cells.

A New Way of Thinking About Intelligence

Perhaps the most important takeaway from this study is a shift in how we think about intelligence.

Instead of focusing only on individual capability, this research highlights the power of collective behavior. It shows that:

  • Simple agents can solve complex problems

  • Intelligence can emerge from interactions

  • The environment plays a key role in decision-making

This approach could redefine how we design machines and systems in the future.

Conclusion: Small Rules, Big Impact

Ants may be small, but they hold powerful lessons for science and engineering. By studying their behavior, researchers have created robotic systems that can organize themselves, adapt to changes, and perform complex tasks—all without central control.

The work led by Professor L. Mahadevan demonstrates that complexity does not always require complicated instructions. Sometimes, simple rules—applied collectively—are enough to build something extraordinary.

As this technology develops, we may soon see swarms of robots working together to construct buildings, explore new worlds, and solve problems that are too difficult or dangerous for humans alone.

And it all starts with a simple idea:
great things can emerge when small agents work together.

Reference: Fabio Giardina et al, Robotectonics: Emergent Phototactic Aggregation-Disaggregation in Swarms, PRX Life (2026). DOI: 10.1103/cx3h-bwhc

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