Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in Shenzhen demonstrated a swarm of small snail-inspired spherical robos capable of collectively solving physical problems.

In the experiment, five identical robos had to transport a unit from a lower platform to a higher one, separated by a void without ramps, rails or pre-existing structures, the solution did not come from the environment, but from the robos themselves, instead of depending on a fixed mechanism, the robos physically connect and form a temporary structure.

Four of them are stacked creating a sloping column, while the fifth ascends that “living ramp,” as this happens, the steals at the base adjust position and inclination to redistribute the weight, like people balancing by holding something heavy together; Once the task is finished, the structure falls apart and each robot moves on its own again.