| Then, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an | | | | in the future: |
| ant said: "Ants! Enter your dwellings, so that Sulayman | | | | Nuclear and hazardous waste cleanup with robotic |
| and his troops do not crush you unwittingly." (Qur'an, | | | | "swarms," mining (including material removal and |
| 27:18) | | | | search-and-rescue), mine sweeping (both land and |
| The "Valley of the Ants" refers to a special place and | | | | water), surveillance and sentry, planetary surface |
| special ants. In addition, the fact that Prophet Sulayman | | | | exploration and excavation. 1 |
| (as) could hear the ants talking among themselves | | | | In a report by Israel A. Wagner, an expert on ant robot |
| may contain striking references to future | | | | technology, the ant robot projects were described in |
| developments in computer technology. The | | | | these terms: |
| present-day term "Silicon Valley" refers to the centre | | | | Ant-robots are simple physical or virtual creatures |
| of the world of technology. It is most significant that a | | | | designed to cooperate in order to achieve a common |
| "valley of the ants" appears in the account of Prophet | | | | goal. They are assumed to have very limited |
| Sulayman's (as) life. Allah may be drawing our attention | | | | resources of energy, sensing and computing, and to |
| to the advanced technology of the future. | | | | communicate via traces left in the workspace or on |
| Furthermore, ants and other insect species are widely | | | | the ground, like many insects naturally do... |
| used in advanced technology as models in robot | | | | The distribution of work among multiple a(ge)nts can |
| projects and are intended to serve in a wide range of | | | | be made by either a central controller who sends |
| areas, from the defence industry to technology. The | | | | orders to the agents, or by an a-priori agreement on a |
| verse may also be referring to these developments. | | | | certain partitioning that, if obeyed by the agents, |
| Latest Developments in Miniature Technology: | | | | eventually leads to a completion of the given mission. |
| Army-Ant Robots | | | | A third way, used throughout the current work, is to |
| The best known project using ants as a model are the | | | | design the behavior of individuals such that cooperation |
| "Army-Ant Robot" projects being carried out | | | | will naturally emerge in the course of their work, |
| independently in several countries. One study being | | | | without making a-priori decisions on the structure of |
| carried out by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and | | | | the cooperation. The specific application that we |
| Virginia State University seeks to develop small, | | | | address is covering, which is also known as exploring |
| inexpensive, and simple physically identical robots that | | | | or searching. This variety of names hints to the many |
| can be used as a robot army. Project officials explain | | | | applications this problem might have: from cleaning the |
| these robots' functionality in the following terms: "The | | | | floor of a house to mapping an unknown planet or |
| way they behave as a group, in a coordinated manner, | | | | demining a mine field. 2 |
| perform a series of physical actions, and take joint | | | | As can be seen in these examples, an ant's social |
| decisions." These robot armies' mechanical and | | | | lifestyle forms the basis of many projects, and the |
| electrical designs have been based on the behaviour | | | | various ant-based robot technologies are providing |
| of an ant community. They are called the "army-ant" | | | | benefits for human beings. That is why it is so |
| robots because of their similarities to their insect | | | | important that ants and their valley are referred to in |
| counterparts. | | | | the Qur'anic account of Prophet Sulayman's (as) life. |
| The "army-ant" robot system was originally designed | | | | The term "ants" in the verse may refer to an army |
| as a "material-carrying system." According to this | | | | consisting of robots, future developments in robot |
| scenario, several small robots would be charged with | | | | technology, and how robots will play an important role |
| jointly lifting and carrying objects. It was later decided | | | | in human life. For example, they may perform many |
| that they could be used for other tasks. One report | | | | arduous tasks and thus make people's lives more |
| describes other tasks to which they might be assigned | | | | comfortable. (Allah knows best. |