‘Swarm’ seems to be the big buzzword in robotics research at the moment. The latest iteration of this paradigm is the swarmanoid, a distributed entity consisting of three discreet types of miniature robot – feet, hands and eyes – that can act collaboratively to move heavy objects and navigate complex terrain. This may produce artificial beings better suited to acting in human environments than the results of the ‘classic’ anthropomorphic designs, able to assist with real-world tasks like tidying bedrooms or rescuing earthquake victims.