MONDAY,
February 19, 8PM @ the Bell House, FREE!
Bee Hives. Ant Colonies. Flocks of Birds. Schools
of Fish. Animals that move—and even seem to think—as collectives exhibit
uncanny behavior, swarming, murmurating,
ebbing and flowing almost like liquids. Such natural phenomena have inspired scientists to create swarms of small robots that swim, crawl, and fly en masse. Alone, each of
these robots is none too smart. But
as a group? Their collective
intelligence could solve all kinds of problems.
In the future, robot swarms might build
habitats on Mars, conduct search-and-rescue missions, or (gulp) autonomously
attack enemies. At the next Secret Science Club, biologist Simon Garnier
explores the history and potential of swarm robotics.
Director of the Swarm Lab and professor of
biology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Simon Garnier researches robot
swarms, army ants, and socially networked slime molds to learn how intelligent collective
behaviors (and not so intelligent ones) emerge in groups. He also considers the
question of self-organization in nature—in everything from cells to human
crowds. Dr. Garnier has been a featured scientist on Science Friday, the Guardian
technology video series, National
Geographic, Scientific American, and Mashable.
Before
& After
--Try our hive-minded
cocktail of the night,
the Perfect Swarm
--Pulse and flow with synchronized grooves
--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A
This crowd-sourced
edition of the Secret Science Club meets Monday,
February 19, 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd
avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave; R to 9th Street.
Doors
open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. Just bring your smart self!
Photo Credit: Alex Wild
