An Art Installation Sculpted by a Team of Swarming Autonomous Flying Robots

By Clay Dillow Posted 11.29.2011 at 3:06 pm 7 Comments

FRAC's Quadcopter Robosculptors Raffaello D'Andrea

Regular readers of PopSci are no strangers to robotic quadcopters, or even to quadcopters that work together to build things. But now, the quadcopters are out of the lab. A new art installation opening this weekend at the FRAC Centre in Orléans, France, will be built entirely by quadcopter robots, marking the first time such an exhibition has been constructed by flying robots.

“Flight Assembled Architecture” aims to inspire new ways of thinking about architecture and the process of building things. It also aims to be very, very cool. The robots will swarm together to collaboratively assemble a nearly 20-foot-high tower made of polystyrene foam blocks. It will be built in a roughly 33-by-33-by-33 foot airspace loaded with motion capture sensors that can track up to 50 robots simultaneously (though it’s unclear exactly how many will be working at the same time for this exhibition).

Each quadcopter is programmed to interact with the others via commands issued from a control module, and the motion capture sensors will ensure that everything goes according to plan. A precision fleet management program will take control of the ‘copters should they come too close to one another, helping to avoid collisions and keep the work from bottlenecking.

Of course, the adage says that art imitates life and to some extent that’s what’s happening here. While autonomous robo-construction is a nascent form of engineering, its certainly not one that’s unexplored. The DoD has previously looked into (and presumably is still exploring) swarm technologies and automated robotic fabrication, ostensibly with the idea that future forward operating bases or disaster relief shelters and the like could be assembled--at least to some degree--by unmanned systems before humans ever arrive at a destination.

Robosculptors, Sculpting: FRAC Centre

So while “Flight Assembled Architecture” is something of a whimsical look at that current state of the art of automated aerial robotic systems, it is also a window to the future. Catch a preview to the preview below.

[Gizmag]

Previous Article: Cyborg Insects Could Be First Responders in Rescue Situations

Next Article: Bacterial Lamp Can Eat Your Sewage and Light Up Your House

7 Comments

Link to this comment

quasi44

11/29/11 at 5:54 pm

Have em come paint my house.

Link to this comment

inaka_rob

11/29/11 at 10:19 pm

I have been following this company and invention through popsci for a long time now. I REALLY want to invest in this company!

Link to this comment

I4Future

11/29/11 at 11:30 pm

I know it would probably just look like chaotic flight patterns but I wish they would pause between forms. Put 8-12 of the quadcopters in the room and just have them fly form to form with out hesitation.

I too have been following this company from the beginning and so impressed with everything they have accomplished. I am waiting for the next step to be adding an Ipad to the "operation." Have a set list of patterns across the top of the screen and a map of the room on the rest of the screen. Select your desired formation and touch what part of the room and they quadcopters swarm to that area. draw a circle or drag your finger in any pattern and the quacopters will mimic that pattern on the way to the new formation location.

I wonder if this is how the Ancients(Atlantians) came up with their Drones. lol

Link to this comment

ghost

11/30/11 at 1:10 am

i'd like to see them weave something like that, something awesome...

still it's cool to look at, i can't wait until the technology can be scaled up to build buildings.

also doing a google search will tell you their stock exchange number, if they have one, and how much their stocks are. it actually would be a very smart idea to invest in their company.

to mars or bust!

Link to this comment

ritsc

11/30/11 at 9:50 am

The Army should make something like this to complement the CH-47 Chinook.

Link to this comment

nighthawkich

11/30/11 at 3:02 pm

very impressive. There is some seriously wickedly advanced software at work here. Kudos for all involved!

I anxiously await reading further developments as well as the IPO of the company developing them...

Link to this comment

Robert1234

12/09/11 at 2:29 am

Robert1234"Weaving" is something they could actually accomplish! Attached to a supply of strings they could weave twin vertical ropes, then pull them horizontal, catch them on hooks and then come to rest on the two ropes! What a cool demo that would be.

Popular Tags

Technology

All Tags All Photos All Videos

Technology

+ More Photo Galleries

June 2013: American Energy Independence

Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.