As army ants travel over uneven terrain, they link their bodies together to create bridges — a system that might give engineers insight into controlling robotic swarms.

Robots can learn from it As army ants travel over uneven terrain, they link their bodies together to create bridges — a system that might give engineers insight into controlling robotic swarms.

The army ants in the video are just one of the many species of ants, all of which have adapted in different ways. Some others also form bridges or ropes to raid food sources like beehives.

These are driver ants (the Dorylus species from Africa) and army ants (the Eciton species from South America). Ants follow scent trails to forage for food and return home.

As army ants travel over uneven terrain, they link their bodies together to create bridges — a system that might give engineers insight into controlling robotic swarms.

As army ants travel over uneven terrain, they link their bodies together to create bridges — a system that might give engineers insight into controlling robotic swarms.