EXPLORE / HOW SWARMS WORK
Intelligence
between nodes.
A flock has no single bird in charge of its shape. Flockinator asks what a group of small agents can achieve through local observation and communication.
Start with why Flockinator exists: a visual and auditory microscope for noticing collective behaviour.
01 / THE BUILDING BLOCK
One node. A partial view.
Each panel has its own ESP32 controller, display and identity. A node can show what it observes, what it shares and when it is uncertain. The physical wall makes differences between nodes visible.
In the published host experiments, observations and decisions are simulated. Onboard microphones, motion and environmental sensors offer a separate route for future embodied experiments.
02 / THE RELATIONSHIP
Messages change the group.
Keep enough independence to avoid one bad observation becoming everyone’s belief.
Share useful information so the group can act beyond any one node’s view.
Make doubt and abstention visible, alongside confident decisions.
These are design questions, not proof that the physical wall has learned a general swarm policy. The bird-like background is a visual analogy based on simple local steering rules.
03 / THE SCALE
Sixteen is a starting point.
The reference wall is 4×4: enough individual variation to explore patterns across a group. The mounting concept uses 2×2-node acrylic tiles, which can be composed into rows, walls or clusters.
Physical modularity does not automatically make the software unlimited. The current controller roster and interface assume sixteen nodes; other counts need corresponding changes and tests.
Explore layouts and power requirements ↗