3.5M views · Nov 13, 2010 · 3:55 · 1 HN recommender · 4 mentions · discussed 2013–2022
Footage of a huge flock of starlings performing a murmuration, filmed by wildlife cameraman Dylan Winter. The flock moves in tightly coordinated shapes.
Why Hacker News points people here: Cited as a benchmark for leaderless swarm behavior that robots and drones could aim to match.
“when drones can do this, drones will be cool”HN comment, 2015
“One with higher quality (not the same recording)”
Higher-quality starling murmuration recording
One with higher quality (not the same recording): this video . Youtube also refers to some other nice recordings from that one. (There's also a video with intermediate quality, and otherwise distracting parts, but amazing formations too: link / link ) Sadly I haven't found one with (just) original sound (no music).
“watch a flight of a thousand starlings maneuver adeptly without collisions”
Starlings flying without a leader as an example
> But why is there a "leader" to begin with? In swarms of birds the older birds do have some specific roles, but real "leaders" seem to me a brittle approach. I agree, and it seems nature agrees. Anyone who think a leader is required should watch a flight of a thousand starlings maneuver adeptly without collisions, a swarm of bees or ants carry out their duties without any command hierarchy, or a modern government rob the people blind with nary a collision between the overwhelming number of redundant departments. this video (starlings in flight)
“when drones can do this, drones will be cool”
Benchmark for impressive drone swarm behavior
As someone who has worked a LOT with drones of all form factors (quad copters, propeller drones, battery and dead dinosaur-fueled), when drones can do this, drones will be cool: this video Context: link
“I'm waiting for someone to develop drones that swarm like starlings”
Example of swarming behavior drones could mimic
If you manage to develop a drone swarm system that drops things, the last thing it will be used for is fighting fires. I'm waiting for someone to develop drones that swarm like starlings ( this video ). You could take down an entire battlegroup with a couple thousand suicide drones.
