MIT researchers are building autonomous, self-replicating robots: Here's how
A robot capable of replicating itself autonomously is a scary prospect. At least, that's what Arnold Schwarzenegger and Terminator taught us. We are still quite far from building such robots, but we might be closer than you'd imagine. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are working on robots that can self-assemble and build almost anything. Their research has yielded positive results so far.
Why does this story matter?
Robots that are capable of building anything will be a great boon as they will make several day-to-day human activities more efficient. The potential of such robots is endless. Cars, buildings, power plants, and even habitat systems on faraway planets...the ability to autonomously assemble such structures will be a giant leap for robotics. This invention can deeply impact the future of space exploration.
MIT's CBA is involved in the project
Engineers at MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) are working on an ambitious project, designing robots that can self-assemble. Even they would admit that they are quite far from achieving that goal. However, a paper published in the journal Nature Communications Engineering shows that they are making important strides toward achieving the ultimate objective. Let's take a look at what they have built.
The system is based on pieces called 'voxels'
The scientists have built an assembly system that is centered around 'voxels,' the 3D equivalent of pixels. They carry power and data that can be shared between pieces. These pieces form the robot's foundation. The robot moves independently, grabbing and attaching additional voxels before moving across the grid for further assembly. To build other robots, the system also uses grippers and actuators.
The system knows how to work out complex tasks
The assembly system is a step in the right direction toward building autonomous, self-assembling robots. One of the main hurdles of such systems is building proper intelligence within them. The robots need to determine how and where to build, when to build a new robot, and how to avoid bumping into each other. CBA's assembly system takes all these into account.
CBA's assembly system can multiply into a hierarchical robot system
Previous assembly systems were limited in their ability to build large structures. They could only build large ones until they reached a certain size in comparison to the robot. CBA's system, however, can "build recursively and could 'multiply' into a hierarchical robot system that can build much larger structures," said Amira Abdel-Rahman, the lead author of the paper.
