What is 'robot metabolism' and how is it being developed at Columbia University?

Robot metabolism refers to the development of robots capable of biological functions like eating, growing, and reproducing, with researchers at Columbia's Creative Machines Lab creating modular parts that can self-assemble and improve their own capabilities.

How do the modular truss links developed by Columbia University researchers work?

The modular truss links, inspired by toys, are robot parts that can attach, combine, and assemble into a full three-dimensional robot, extending and retracting like an inchworm and improving capabilities over time.

What are the long-term goals of the Creative Machines Lab's robotics research?

The lab aims to create adaptable, self-sufficient robotic machines that can exhibit biological functions, potentially leading to a future 'kingdom of machines' with robots that can heal, grow, and reproduce autonomously.

Home / Science / Robots That Heal, Grow, and Reproduce Developed

Robots That Heal, Grow, and Reproduce Developed

18 Apr

•

Summary

Scientists developed robot parts that assemble into self-growing machines.
The system allows robots to improve their own capabilities over time.
Researchers aim for robots that can eat, grow, and reproduce autonomously.

Robots That Heal, Grow, and Reproduce Developed

At Columbia University's Creative Machines Lab, researchers are pioneering a new generation of robots designed with biological principles. Philippe Wyder and Judah Goldfeder have developed modular "truss links" that can self-assemble into three-dimensional robots, marking a breakthrough in self-growing and self-improving robotic systems.

Led by Hod Lipson, the lab's work draws inspiration from childhood toys, aiming to create adaptable, self-sufficient machines. Sylvester Zhang's project, for instance, uses triangular modules to achieve self-reproduction, a core concept in the lab's pursuit of "robot metabolism."