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OVER AT MIT in the United States, a student came up with an idea for modular robots.
These independent robots that can operate on their own or recombine with each other in various ways to create brand new robots made up of these smaller autonomous units.
It took some tinkering, but the idea came to fruition.
They’re called M-Blocks – small cubes without moving parts, loaded up with electronics that help them roll and jump around a room.
And as you’ll see in the video below, they are smart enough to detect each other and figure out how to join up to create new devices.
What’s the end goal? They’d like to eventually have “hundreds of cubes scattered randomly across the floor to be able to identify each other, coalesce, and autonomously transform into a chair, or a ladder, or a desk, on demand”.
You’ll never be short of chairs next time you have guests over.
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Has no one learned from that documentary The Terminator that this sort of stuff doe sent end well!
FabLab concept came from MIT’s Centre for Bits and Atoms and still needs to make an impact in Ireland. They’re popping up all over the world and if we got a few set up, it could have a real effect on creating jobs while also generating interest in STEM fields.
Lazy Lego
The guy above me is an idiot…. but there’s always one ladies and gentlemen
What was wrong with proper chairs then?
They can’t turn into ladders
A draw back of most furniture I find
It’s a demonstration of the technology. Applications of self assembly are massive.
“when Ikea furniture turns bad”
They can! Only one step though! changed many a light bulb with one!
Can they make a dog? No
Every house needs a jack russell nevermind a fcuking robot
And a few proper chairs. Can’t ‘see climb up there and watch the TV in comfort ‘ catching on.
And a good woman to wash the dishes and prepare the meals
Hey! If we got a few of the and put them in Dail Eireann they could run the country and probably better and heaps cheaper than the lot that is there. Just think a couple of nine volt batteries and we are away.
Has nobody seen the Replicators in Stargate? This sort of thing ends up badly for the human race……….. http://youtu.be/7itieZG3hdw
It is “hypothermia” not “hypethermia”.
Damn, wrong tab! :D
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