Swarming Robots, (Zombie) Infection!

"mmm, FeRAMs", the zombots are here

We all know I like robots, but a little known fact is I also like zombies. And then I found these. I had heard of swarm robots and they certainly piqued my interest. I did not even imagine you could set them up as in the video below, to simulate an infection scenario, just like zombies right? Right?! What makes it more zombie-like is that it is undertaken in low light – dusky, scary and zombie-y.

Zombots! Okay, maybe not, but a man can dream..

Even though these bots look simple, they aren’t – they drive using small mobile phone motors, can communicate over infrared (many uses here: one being the uploading of firmware to one robot can ‘infect’ it to all the others in a swarm, another to use the infrared sensors as ambient light sensors so the bots can zoom away (or to) light sources and a third use being the ability to identify colour changes on the floor) and their batteries hold around an hour charge. The bots can even charge themselves up by driving to a powered rail.

The whole system looks really fun, it is extensible and ready to be hacked and developed (if only I had the time..). You can pre-order your formica 2 kit here for a meagre £30 (though be prepared for a touch of easy soldering to complete them in all their glory).