A solution to permanently eliminate traffic jams has been discovered, inspired by a certain animal. Watch the video to learn more!

Ants are widely recognized for their highly organized social behavior and have long inspired scientists to pursue new research. In particular, their ability to find simple solutions to complex problems has caught the attention of researchers, who now believe that ants could help humans tackle one of the most pressing issues of the modern world — traffic jams, as reported by PHYS.org.

In a new study, two professors from the University of Trento focused on understanding ant behavior — the scientists aimed to uncover how these insects manage to move in an orderly fashion, without stops or interruptions, even in large numbers.

According to professor Marco Gherieri, who specializes in road and railway infrastructure at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and is a co-author of the study, ants are one of the few species on Earth capable of handling bidirectional traffic flows, similar to our transportation interchanges. However, unlike humans, ants manage to move smoothly and without congestion.

During the study, the researchers observed a 30-centimeter ant trail, which is equivalent to 100 body lengths of each ant. The team analyzed video footage using deep learning algorithms and tracked the movements of individual ants, mapping their trajectories, speeds, flows, and densities.

It is known that ants follow pheromone trails marked by a leading ant. The insects move in columns with small gaps and without overtaking. Professor Gherieri stated that this tactic could potentially be useful for humans as well.

The team believes that in the future, traffic systems for autonomous vehicles may be inspired by ant behavior. The researchers also think that, similar to ants communicating through pheromones, connected and automated vehicles in the future could likely utilize advanced communication technologies to interact with each other and manage road infrastructure.

This approach is expected to assist scientists in forming coordinated columns, moving at high speeds with close intervals in parallel lanes. The authors of the study believe that this could enhance traffic efficiency and likely help reduce emissions.