Research fire ant behavior to develop rescue robots, waterproofing materials

The South American fire ants (scientific name Solenopsis Invicta) have become an inspiration in a study to design new types of search and rescue robots and new waterproof materials by a group of scientists at the Public Academy. Georgia (USA) technology.

Fire ants' skillful movement and rafting can help professionals create effective rescue robots and waterproofing materials.

First, the team designed "ant farms" to force them to find their way by digging through the sand between two sheets of glass. This allows experts to observe and use high-speed cameras to record every movement and digging path of ants. The lead researcher, Dr. Nick Gravish, said that this ant colony moves at a very high speed and the slow-motion film shows that they slip many times, but also regain their "performance" very quickly after each fall.

To learn how ants can control movement in harsh environments, the team created a second test environment in which ant colonies are forced to crawl through a fairly slippery glass maze to move from ant nest to food source. They found out how much the ants' movement speed was different. But the surprising thing is that ants not only use their feet to stand up after falling, but also utilize the antennae on their heads as "extra limbs" to support their weight.

Professor Dan Goldman, a member of the research team, explained that the reason why South American ants move so skillfully in such an environment is because they know how to use many parts of the body to adapt to the situation. From this discovery, researchers can "filter" the principles that ants and other animals use in their complex habitats to apply to the design of search and rescue robots. new, works in every situation.

Besides, South American fire ants also have the ability to combine the herd to form a "raft" to help them survive in flood conditions, by linking the limbs together and floating on the water surface. Scientists hope to find a way to simulate floating water in ants to develop waterproof materials and rescue robots that help people in flooding situations.