Nature@Noon: From Understanding Ants to Building Better Robots

Each day, ants accomplish seemingly impossible feats. They cooperate to carry large objects, make decisions about where to live or collectively defend their nests without any kind of leadership or central control. How do they do it?

Join ASU biology professor Stephen Pratt on an exploration of how ants use decentralized design to successfully carry out the tasks of daily survival. Learn how engineers are mimicking these strategies in human applications, including the design of robot swarms in the field.

Nature@Noon is a series of workshops that explores the collection of ASU’s new NatureMaker library and its potential to inspire sustainable innovation. NatureMaker is a collaboration between the Biomimicry Center and the ASU Library.