Latest news with #ColumbiaEngineering
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Cannibal robot? Scientists develop a robot that can grow and heal by eating others
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. Related China unveils tiny spy drone that looks like a mosquito. What other small spy drones exist? 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. Related This new artificial muscle can move just like human muscles but it's 17 times stronger '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. Related Stanford engineers have taken a leaf out of nature's book to build this bird robot "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.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Cannibal robot? Scientists develop a robot that can grow and heal by eating others
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. Related China unveils tiny spy drone that looks like a mosquito. What other small spy drones exist? 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. Related This new artificial muscle can move just like human muscles but it's 17 times stronger '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. Related Stanford engineers have taken a leaf out of nature's book to build this bird robot "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.
Euronews
4 days ago
- 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.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists just invented robots that feed on other robots
Scientists have built a robot that grows and heals by consuming other robots. The development heralds a new era of self-sustaining machines and an 'entirely new dimension of autonomy' for artificial intelligence, according to the team from New York's Columbia University who created it. "True autonomy means robots must not only think for themselves but also physically sustain themselves," said Philippe Martin Wyder, lead author and researcher at Columbia Engineering and the University of Washington. "Just as biological life absorbs and integrates resources, these robots grow, adapt, and repair using materials from their environment or from other robots." The cannibal robots work through a process referred to as 'robot metabolism', which allows them to absorb and reuse bits of other robots. The team showed off this new paradigm through a robotic magnet stick, dubbed the Truss Link, that can expand, contract and attract to other modules. The robot is able to self-assemble and increase its performance by adding new bits, or discard old parts that have run out of battery or no longer serve a function. One example shows a tetrahedron-shaped robot integrate a new Truss Link to use as a walking stick in order to increase its speed by more than 50 per cent. 'Robots provide a digital interface to the physical world, and give legs to AI,' stated a video produced by Columbia Engineering school. 'Through adaptable robot bodies, AI could in the future assist us in exploring the depths of the oceans, save lives during natural disasters, help us colonise new planets and support us in our daily lives. 'Robot metabolism shows a path to a new kind of machine – one that not only learns, but also grows.' The research was published in the journal Science Advances, in a study titled 'Robot metabolism: Toward machines that can grow by consuming other machines'. "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 Dr Wyder. "Initially, systems capable of robot metabolism will be used in specialized applications such as disaster recovery or space exploration. 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."
Newsweek
16-07-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Cannibalism Could Let Robots Self-Repair
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In a move that brings science fiction closer to reality, researchers have developed a new kind of robot that can "grow," "heal," and even improve itself by using parts from its environment—or even by cannibalizing other robots. Unlike most of today's machines, which are built as fixed, closed systems, these new robots are designed to physically change and adapt, much like living organisms. The process—dubbed "Robot Metabolism"—allows robots to absorb and reuse components from their surroundings, giving them the ability to evolve over time. "True autonomy means robots must not only think for themselves but also physically sustain themselves," said lead author Philippe Martin Wyder, a researcher at Columbia Engineering and the University of Washington. Stock image of one toy robot "eating" another. Stock image of one toy robot "eating" another. EyeEm Mobile GmbH/iStock / Getty Images Plus Published in the journal Science Advances, the study introduces a system built around a modular robotic component called a Truss Link. Each Truss Link is a bar-shaped unit with magnetic connectors that can expand, contract, and attach to other modules. On their own, these units are simple. But when combined, they can self-assemble into complex, functional robots. In experiments, the researchers showed how Truss Links formed flat shapes that transformed into 3D robots. These robots could then add new pieces—either scavenged from the environment or taken from other robots—to improve their abilities. In one example, a robot shaped like a tetrahedron attached an extra piece to act like a walking stick, increasing its downhill speed by more than 66.5 percent. "Robot minds have moved forward by leaps and bounds in the past decade through machine learning, but robot bodies are still monolithic, unadaptive, and unrecyclable," said Hod Lipson, co-author of the study and director of Columbia's Creative Machines Lab. "Biological bodies, in contrast, are all about adaptation—lifeforms, can grow, heal, and adapt. In large part, this ability stems from the modular nature of biology that can use and reuse modules (amino acids) from other lifeforms. "Ultimately, we'll have to get robots to do the same—to learn to use and reuse parts from other robots. You can think of this nascent field as a form of 'machine metabolism.'" Truss Links self-assembled into a tetrahedron. Truss Links self-assembled into a tetrahedron. Creative Machines Lab The team envisions a future where robots are part of self-sustaining ecosystems. Instead of relying on humans for maintenance, robots could grow stronger and smarter by incorporating whatever materials are available—much like how living things grow by consuming nutrients or other organisms. "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," Wyder explained. Initially, such adaptable machines could be used in challenging environments like disaster zones or outer space. However, Lipson adds a note of caution: "The image of self-reproducing robots conjures some bad sci-fi scenarios. But the reality is that as we hand off more and more of our lives to robots—from driverless cars to automated manufacturing, and even defense and space exploration. "Who is going to take care of these robots? We can't rely on humans to maintain these machines. Robots must ultimately learn to take care of themselves." Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about robots? Let us know via science@ Reference Wyder, P. M., Bakhda, R., Zhao, M., Booth, Q. A., Modi, M. E., Song, A., Kang, S., Wu, J., Patel, P., Kasumi, R. T., Yi, D., Garg, N. N., Jhunjhunwala, P., Bhutoria, S., Tong, E. H., Hu, Y., Goldfeder, J., Mustel, O., Kim, D., & Lipson, H. (2025). Robot metabolism: Toward machines that can grow by consuming other machines. Science Advances, 11(29).
