Roland Piquepaille writes, "Inspired by the coordination of bird flocks and fish schools, oceanographers will launch this month an entire fleet of undersea robots in Monterey Bay, California. These underwater robots will work together without human input. The goal of this program is to make detailed and efficient observations of the ocean, but it also has larger implications. For example, 'it may lead to the development of robot fleets that forecast ocean conditions and better protect endangered marine animals, track oil spills, and guide military operations at sea.' And the researchers think that self-choreographed robotic teams might even explore other planets." For more details see Roland's blog posting or the Princeton Adaptive Sampling and Prediction website.