Palmer’s project, Ant Ballet, is an augmentation of ant societal behavior. By appealing to their most base instincts—hacking the pheromone signals that ants rely upon for communication—Palmer is able to manipulate ants, to choreograph their movements. To do so, he deploys a robotic arm that drops powdered synthetic pheromones (created by UCL Organic Chemistry). These trails are irresistible for the ants to follow. They’re pulled by the strings of their societal engine. (via An Ant Ballet, Choreographed By Pheromones And Robots | Co.Design: business innovation design)