amazing starlings murmuration (full HD) -www.keepturningleft.co.uk
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited as a benchmark for leaderless swarm behavior that robots and drones could aim to match.
What it is
Footage of a huge flock of starlings performing a murmuration, filmed by wildlife cameraman Dylan Winter. The flock moves in tightly coordinated shapes.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2013 to 2022.
What Hacker News said
Recommends pflanze · 2022-06 · on “The mesmerising murmurations of Europe’s starlings”
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).
Cites lutusp · 2013-09 · on “Professor Develops 'Brain' for Robots”
> 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)
Cites sounds · 2015-02 · on “A girl who gets gifts from birds”
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]
Cites jbob2000 · 2018-06 · on “Colorado Lawmakers Seek to Make Flying Drones Over Wildfires a Felony”
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.