Jon Excell

Factory swarm

In-Depth

The field of experimental robotics is arguably one of the most exciting in all of engineering research. Certainly it captures the public’s imagination like few other sectors, as testified by the number of viral online videos showing flying robots performing incredible stunts and even, in one instance, playing tennis.

The next stage in the evolution of robotics is likely to see robots working together in teams. The advantages are, literally, numerous - the ability to perform more complex assignments far more quickly and with inherent redundancy in case of failure of individual robots.

That’s exactly what Prof Anibal Ollero at the University of Seville is aiming to achieve in leading two related EU FP7 projects with a combined budget of more than €10m (approximately £8.4m). The larger project — Aerial Robotics Co-operative Assembly System (ARCAS) — envisions fleets of autonomous aerial vehicles co-operating to build new structures part by part, as well as inspecting existing infrastructure and, when required, dismantling it.

Approaching sites from air rather than land opens up entirely new possibilities, such as bridge building in challenging, mountainous terrain, industrial inspection of thousands of kilometres of oil and gas pipes, and even, in the future, taking apart retired satellites and space junk.

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