#  Why Robot Swarms Work Better With a Little Wiggle 

 





February 13, 2026

 

 

A new study, published in the [*Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2519032123)*,* from Professor L. Mahadevan's lab found that injecting just the right amount of randomness into how robots move can prevent gridlock and dramatically boost efficiency in crowded spaces.

Robots marching in perfectly straight lines toward their targets collide and jam. Robots wandering too randomly waste time. But robots moving with a calculated "wiggle" — bumping briefly and sliding past each other — keep the whole operation humming.

The team confirmed their math with real robot swarms in a Dutch lab. Their surprising conclusion: you don't need a supercomputer calling the shots. Simple local movement rules are enough to get the job done.



 

 

 



 

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