The age of the machines maybe finally upon us.
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich have for the first time, programmed drones to build an entire bridge without any human help.
Each unmanned aerial vehicle was armed with a spool of rope and flew back and forth between two sets of scaffolding, perfectly weaving its way to form a fully-functioning bridge, able to bear the weight of one person.
The ground-breaking project took place in the ETH Zurich Flying Machine Arena and represents a big step for how machines could take us into an era of construction that doesn't require humans.
Writing about the advantages of using drones over traditional robotics, the researchers said: "Flying machines offer a number of advantages compared to traditional construction machines.
"Specifically, they can reach any point in space and fly in or around existing objects."
SEE ALSO:
In a YouTube video, the team showed their drones in action.
While the construction site looked rather eerie as the UAVs appeared to robotically get on with building, some form of human intervention was still needed for the task to be completed.
All the flying machines worked using algorithms sent from an off-board computer, that presumably requires a human programmer.
Maybe we still have some time before the age of the machines begins.