Data_Sheet_1_Validating a Termite-Inspired Construction Coordination Mechanism Using an Autonomous Robot.PDF

Many species of termites build large, structurally complex mounds, and the mechanisms behind this coordinated construction have been a longstanding topic of investigation. Recent work has suggested that humidity may play a key role in the mound expansion of savannah-dwelling Macrotermes species: termites preferentially deposit soil on the mound surface at the boundary of the high-humidity region characteristic of the mound interior, implying a coordination mechanism through environmental feedback where addition of wet soil influences the humidity profile and vice versa. Here we test this potential mechanism physically using a robotic system. Local humidity measurements provide a cue for material deposition. As the analogue of the termite's deposition of wet soil and corresponding local increase in humidity, the robot drips water onto an absorbent substrate as it moves. Results show that the robot extends a semi-enclosed area outward when air is undisturbed, but closes it off when air is disturbed by an external fan, consistent with termite building activity in still vs. windy conditions. This result demonstrates an example of adaptive construction patterns arising from the proposed coordination mechanism, and supports the hypothesis that such a mechanism operates in termites.

诸多白蚁物种均可构筑体量庞大、结构复杂的蚁冢，而这类协同构筑行为背后的机制，长期以来皆是学界持续探索的研究课题。近期研究表明，湿度可能在稀树草原栖息的大白蚁属（Macrotermes）物种的蚁冢扩张过程中发挥关键作用：白蚁优先在蚁冢内部高湿度区域的边界处的蚁冢表面沉积土壤，这暗示了一种基于环境反馈的协同机制——湿润土壤的添加会改变局部湿度分布，反之亦然。本研究通过机器人系统对这一潜在机制开展物理验证：以局部湿度测量数据作为沉积物投放的决策依据，该机器人模拟白蚁沉积湿润土壤并引发局部湿度升高的行为过程，在移动过程中向吸水性基底滴加水滴。实验结果显示，当空气处于静止状态时，机器人会向外扩展半封闭区域；而当外部风扇扰动空气时，机器人则会封闭该区域，这与白蚁在静风与有风环境下的构筑行为相符。该结果验证了由所提协同机制催生的自适应构筑模式的存在，并支持“此类机制确实存在于白蚁构筑行为中”的假说。