Remember the movie Terminator 2? In it, the T-1000 Terminator (played by Robert Patrick) was able to shape shift quickly and easily. There was a part towards the end, where he was frozen by liquid Nitrogen, shattered, and slowly “reassembled” itself to its normal chosen form. The video below reminded me of that scene.
It presents a single robot (made out of three parts) that functions as a whole piece. Once it is knocked apart, it slowly reassembles itself without the aid of anyone. It may not be as quick as the T-1000, but it is still amazing to watch.
Based on its sensors and magnets, this robot can put itself back together in the correct way. It doesn’t just attach any of its magnets to its other pieces, but comes back together in the form it is meant to.
We have previously came across a smaller version of shape shifting robots called swarms. These were also connecting themselves back to each other, but it just didn’t feel as real as these new ones. I think that the size allows us to realize the actual progress that has been achieved.
In what ways do you see this technology used in the future?
Via: Crunchgear
