Q&A Teaching Robot Swarms Resilience Through Limping

Researchers are teaching robots to “evolve” on the go so they can keep working despite injuries, letting them leap from the lab to the real world. The University of Southampton’s Dr Danesh Tarapore reveal show to teach robot store cover.

SWARMS OF DRONES could soon take to the air to check farmers’ fields or be sent swimming in groups to monitor pollution, while robots already work together in distribution warehouses. But what happens if one gets hurt, breaking a rotor or arm?

Dr Danesh Tarapore has been training robots to be more resilient, learning to compensate for faults or damage. Picture a dog with only three legs – it runs to chase after a thrown ball just fine, said Tarapore. Robots sent out in the real world need to learn to do the same, and thanks to a £250,000 grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, his work is set to continue. Here’s how Dr Tarapore is teaching broken robots new tricks.

■ Where did the idea come from?