Wednesday 

Room 5 

16:20 - 17:20 

(UTC+02

Talk (60 min)

Swarmfare - When the shit hits a thousand fans

In this session, we will explore some of the fundamentals of swarm robotics. Starting with inspiration from biology, we will go all the way back to the first bacteria and how evolution discovered cooperation as a mechanism for survival. We will then pivot to collaboration in robotics, with particular focus on robots that collaborate without a designated leader.

Product
Technique

We will deepen the discussion by looking into some of the software solutions developed at Six Robotics, and how we believe software-driven swarm robotics will shape the future of defence.

Jan Dyre Bjerknes

Jan Dyre is fascinated by how intelligence emerges—from bacteria banding together for survival to robots learning to cooperate without leaders. With a background in philosophy and a PhD in swarm robotics, his work explores the deep connections between biology, software, and collective behaviour. He’s driven by a passion for resilient, decentralised systems and the strange beauty of coordination without central command. Jan Dyre has supervised more than 200 students, written extensively on swarm theory, and gives regular talks on the intersection of ethics, technology, and autonomy. He currently serves as CTO of Six Robotics, building software-driven swarms for the real world.