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The researchers were able to get autonomous modular robots--robots that have the ability to control themselves, like the Roomba vacuum cleaner--to join forces and make one cohesive megabot. Researchers who study swarming insects like termites and ants know that these animals can accomplish things in coordinated groups that they could never manage on their own: carrying large objects, taking out predators, and creating intricate structures. A single powerful robot needs a redesign every time users come up with a new task for it; a bot built for building things can't be expected to pivot to search-and-rescue missions. At the same time, robot swarms provide something a single robot can't--redundancy.