Kilobot

The Kilobot is a 3.3 cm tall low-cost swarm robot[1] developed by Radhika Nagpal and Michael Rubenstein at Harvard University.

In addition to low cost, it has applications such as collective transport, human-swarm interaction, and shape self-assembly.

[2] During November 2010, Michael Rubenstein and Radhika Nagpal began the development of the Kilobot with the support of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the National Science Foundation.

The two primary objectives of the Kilobot's design were to keep the cost low while having enough functionality to perform an array of collective tasks.

Some drawbacks of these methods of communication and movement are: the area on which the Kilobot works is limited to flat surfaces and the inability to move precisely over long distances or over an extended period of time.

Also, the developers cooperated with the K-team, a Swiss manufacturer, so that they can be purchased publicly for educational or research purposes.