‘Cannibal' robot can grow by consuming other machines
This innovation allows machines to absorb and reuse components from others, heralding a new dimension of autonomy for artificial intelligence.
The research team demonstrated the concept with a robotic magnet stick, the Truss Link, which can self-assemble and enhance its performance by integrating new parts.
An example showed a tetrahedron-shaped robot increasing its speed by over 50 per cent by incorporating a new Truss Link as a walking stick.
The developers suggest these self-sustaining robots could be used in specialised applications such as disaster recovery and space exploration, potentially enabling AI to construct physical structures.
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