Cooperating Robots
I had the pleasure of visiting with my nephew, Carlos Casarez, on my last trip to Silicon Valley. He is a PhD student at Berkeley studying robots that collaborate to complete tasks. His research reminded me of Vernor Vinge's character, Wickrackrum, in A Fire Upon the Deep. In that sci-fi novel, the aliens separate and then reintegrate, not only functionally, but psychologically. I wonder how robots in the future will be designed to integrate deeply with other robots and with people.
Here is an article about Carlos' research:
