Weaver ants have now decoded a teamwork puzzle that has rattled scientists for years. Instead of slacking off when the group grows larger, each individual ant works harder with greater strength as the group size increases. These tiny architects not only build intricate leaf nests, but they also double their pulling power as more ants join the group. They use a “force ratchet” system in which some ants pull while others anchor. This method outperforms the efficiency of human teams and is also a great model for developing robotic cooperation.
“Each individual ant almost doubled their pulling force as team size increased – they actually get better at working together as the group gets bigger,” says lead author Madelyne Stewardson from Macquarie University.
The century-old problem in human teams was published by French engineer Max Ringelmann in 1913. He measured the force applied by students while pulling a rope. While the total force increased, individual forces started to decrease as well. Each person’s contribution declined. On the other hand, weaver ants challenge this observation by improving their individual strength and contribution to a particular work.
These tiny ants (Oecophylla smaragdina), mostly living in trees, are found in tropical Africa, Asia, and Australia. They are known for their nest-building behaviors, forming living chains that help to roll leaves and then glue them with silk from their larvae.
Stewardson and behavioral ecologist Dr Chris Reid from Macquarie’s School of Natural Sciences collaborated with an international team. Ants teams applied a certain force to build their nests. The force applied by different-sized ant teams was measured by these scientists. The researchers conducted experiments in which weaver ant colonies were enticed to form pulling chains to move an artificial leaf connected to a force meter. The ants broke down the job into two parts. Some ants actively pulled, while other ants stored the pulling force by forming an anchor.
Dr Daniele Carlesso from the University of Konstanz developed a theory called the ‘force ratchet’ to share his insights into this ant behavior. Ants at the back of the group stretched their body to store the pulling force, while ants at the front kept pulling actively. According to Dr David Labonte from Imperial College London, co-author on the paper, they found this method to be the one that increased individual contributions despite an increase in group size. Longer chains of ants have a greater grip on the ground than single ants. This helps them in resisting the force of the leaf pulling back.
This discovery can aid in developing better robot teams. Currently, robots use the same force in a team and alone. Programming robots that mimic these ants can help teams of autonomous robots work more efficiently in a team.
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