Ok, the title is a little misleading, its not that the robots themselves are getting smarter it’s that the programming is getting better.
A "swarm" of simple-minded robots that teams up to move an object too heavy for them to manage individually has been demonstrated by robotics researchers.
The robots cannot communicate and must act only on what they can see around them. They follow simple rules to fulfil their task – mimicking the way insects work together in a swarm.
See? Nothing to worry about, no robot revolt is on the horizon. Well, the horizon is a long way off at any rate. But I will say, let me be the first to welcome our new robot masters. Let their reign be long and benevolent.
Robot swarm works together to shift heavy objects – tech – 17 October 2006 – New Scientist Tech