Robot Builders with Bugs for Brains
17:12 minutes
How do you program a robot to build without a blueprint? Termites can do it, so why not learn from them? Biologist Scott Turner and roboticist Justin Werfel team up to explain what robots can learn from the independent insect, and what these swarms of construction robots might be used for.
See the robots in action in the video below:
Segment Guests
Justin Werfel
Justin Werfel is a roboticist at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
J. Scott Turner
J. Scott Turner is a biology professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Christopher Intagliata
@cintagliataChristopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.
About Sam Flatow
Sam Flatow is a former production assistant for Science Friday.