So here, you're going to see a thousand robots that are working together to self-assemble the letter K.
这里你们可以看到一千个机器人合作自发组成字母K。
The K is on its side. And the important thing is that no one is in charge.
完成后的字母位于上方。重要的是没有一个机器人起指导作用。
So any single robot is only talking to a small number of robots nearby it,
每个机器人只和周围的一些机器人交流,
and it's using its motion rule to move around the half-built structure just looking for a place to fit in based on its pattern rules.
它利用自身的运动规则,在建了一半的结构周围运动,只是根据其样式规律寻找一个合适的位置。
And even though no robot is doing anything perfectly,
即使没有一个机器人的行为是完美的,
the rules are such that we can get the collective to do its goal robustly together.
这些规则却足以使我们通过集体协作顺利达成目标。
And the illusion becomes almost so perfect, you know -- you just start to not even notice that they're individual robots at all,
这种幻想近乎完美,你们甚至不需要注意到它们是个体机器人,
and it becomes a single entity, kind of like the school of fish.
它们变成了一个单一的实体,就像刚刚提到的鱼群一样。
So these are robots and rules in two dimensions, but we can also think about robots and rules in three dimensions.
这些是从二维层面看机器人及其运动规则,但我们也可以从三维的角度考虑机器人和规则。
So what if we could create robots that could build together?
如果我们能创造有建筑能力的机器人呢?
And here, we can take inspiration from social insects.
看看这里,我们从社会性昆虫身上获得了启发。
So if you think about mound-building termites or you think about army ants,
如果你想到了白蚁丘或者是行军蚁,
they create incredible, complex nest structures out of mud and even out of their own bodies.
它们用泥土甚至用它们自己的身体,创建了惊人复杂的巢穴结构。
And like the system I showed you before, these insects actually also have pattern rules that help them determine what to build,
就像我之前给你们展示的系统一样,这些昆虫实际上也有排布规则,可以帮助它们决定要建造什么,
but the pattern can be made out of other insects, or it could be made out of mud.
但是这种样式结构也可以由其他昆虫造出来,或者是用泥土。
And we can use that same idea to create rules for robots.
我们也可以将同样的想法用于创建机器人规则上。