Latest news with #TrussLink
NDTV
29-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
'Cannibal' Robot That Can Grow, Heal By Consuming Other Bots Developed
In what appears to be a scene straight out of a dystopian sci-fi movie, scientists at Columbia University in New York have developed a robot capable of growing and healing by consuming other robots. Researchers say the development marks a big step in the creation of self-sustaining machines that can lead to an entirely new dimension of autonomy for artificial intelligence. "It is possible to form machines that can grow physically and become more capable within their lifetime by consuming and recycling material from their immediate surroundings and other machines," the study published in the journal Science Advances highlighted. The so-called cannibal robot works through a process called "robot metabolism", allowing it to self-assemble and increase its performance by adding new bits, or discarded old parts that have run out of battery or no longer serve a function. The researchers showed how Truss Links -- a robotic magnet stick inspired by the Geomag toy, self-assembled into two-dimensional shapes, which could later morph into three-dimensional robots. These robots then further improved themselves by integrating new parts, effectively "growing" into more capable machines. "Truss Links can be used to build modular robots. Modular robot systems comprise multiple parts called modules, links, or cells that can self-assemble or be assembled to achieve an objective. The Truss Link is the basic building block of our modular robot system," Also Read | Japan's Toll System Crashes For 38 Hours, 24,000 Still Voluntarily Pay The Fees Though the development of self-sustaining robots is still in a nascent stage, the researchers say the creation of Truss Links is a step toward a future where robots can adapt and improvise "instead of being purpose-built with the vain hope of anticipating all use cases". "True autonomy means robots must not only think for themselves but also physically sustain themselves," Philippe Martin Wyder, lead author and researcher, said in a statement. "Just as biological life absorbs and integrates resources, these robots grow, adapt, and repair using materials from their environment or from other robots." 'What can go wrong' Reacting to the news of self-sustaining robots that might become the norm in the future, social media users were divided on their use case. "Why we need this? What is the purpose of that in our world?" wrote one user while another added: "Oh lovely, real life replicators! What can go wrong?"
Euronews
24-07-2025
- Science
- Euronews
This cannibal robot can grow and heal by eating other robots
This robot is not the first transformer mechanism revealed to the public, but the way it transforms is certainly novel – it grows and heals by consuming other robots. Researchers from Columbia University in the United States have developed a robot, called the Truss Link, that can detect and merge with pieces of robots nearby to fill in missing parts. "True autonomy means robots must not only think for themselves but also physically sustain themselves," Philippe Martin Wyder, lead author and researcher at Columbia Engineering and the University of Washington, wrote in a statement. Made with magnetic sticks, the Truss Link can expand or transform from a flat shape to a 3D structure to adapt to the environment. It can also add new bits from other robots or discard old parts that are not functional anymore to increase its performance. In a video posted by the team, the robot merges with a piece nearby and uses it as a walking stick to increase its speed by more than 50 per cent. 'Gives legs to AI' Researchers named the process in which the robot self-assembles bits of other robots 'robot metabolism'. It is described as a natural biological organism that can often absorb and integrate resources. Robots like the Truss Link can 'provide a digital interface to the physical world, and give legs to AI,' according to a video produced by Columbia Engineering School. Integrated with AI, they possess great potential, experts believe. "Robot metabolism provides a digital interface to the physical world and allows AI to not only advance cognitively, but physically – creating an entirely new dimension of autonomy," said Wyder. The Truss Link could, in future, be used to help develop groundbreaking technologies spanning from marine research to rescue services to extraterrestrial life. "Ultimately, it opens up the potential for a world where AI can build physical structures or robots just as it, today, writes or rearranges the words in your email," Wyder said. Programming robots has been a challenge for engineers; however, artificial intelligence is advancing developments in robotics. 'We now have the technology [AI] to make robots really programmable in a general-purpose way and make it so that normal people can programme them, not just specific robot programming engineers," Rev Lebaredian, vice president of Omniverse and simulation technology at Nvidia, told Euronews Next in May.
