Robotic Traffic Cones
Somebody really has created these devices.
They are a swarm of three wheeled bots, with a leader.
The leader has a GPS to position itself, and then shepherds the rest of the robots in place with laser communication systems. A human operator may sit at a laptop, and program the robots to spread out across a major motorway.
The robots move at around walking speed.
This is a great example of SwarmBots and is a good way to use robots to perform otherwise dangerous jobs. Putting traffic cones out on a motorway can lead to fatal accidents - and is not a job anyone would fancy. Even more so because of angry motorists.
These robots are likely to worry motorists - robot traffic cones stretching across a motorway in front of your very eyes.
They were developed at UNL Robotics and are condoned by the AA. The prototypes cost around £500 ($700) each, and will come down to £150 ($200) once they are in production. Expect to see them deployed soon.