We wish to demonstrate basic rules of chemistry using a swarm of miniature robots which mimic atoms and forming molecules in order to make the concepts of chemistry and robotics more accessible to students. Atomic scale interactions are difficult to observe and are currently taught using computer simulations or ball-and-stick models. Miniature robots that are able to determine their orientation and position with respect to each other and provide tactile feedback to a user could make such simulations both interactive and tangible. At the same time, exposure to the robots' hardware and programming could also introduce students to programming, sensors, and actuation. Initially geared toward high school students and focused on modeling basic chemistry, we expect such a tool to eventually explain more abstract concepts from chemistry or other sciences. Some of these concepts might be implemented by the students themselves as a programming exercise. We present a working prototype of our swarm-robotic chemistry simulation which demonstrates concepts including electronegativity, reaction spontaneity, the octet rule, and hybridization, where each robot is an atom. It also includes preliminary data recorded from a high-school demonstration.
