Self Assembling Drones

The set of robots known as the Distributed Flight Array comes to us from researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland.

Lead researchers  Raymond Ouong and  Raffaello D’Andrea have developed a system where the individual single propeller components can drive around and dock with each other, as shown here.  Once enough of them are docked together, then they can fly.

Eventually they will be able to then land, disassemble, drive around, reassemble, fly again and keep repeating this process. From the DFA webpage:

The Distributed Flight Array is a flying platform consisting of multiple autonomous single propeller vehicles that are able to drive, dock with their peers, and fly in a coordinated fashion. Once in flight the array hovers for a few minutes, then falls back to the ground, only to repeat the cycle again.

Swarm robotics always remind us of hive minds and the Borg.

To watch this crazy swarm assemble itself and the fly, click through for the video.

Link via (Boing Boing) via (Wired)