Hod Lipson and colleagues at Cornell University have developed a robot still very “basic” self-replicating. Plunge into the world of artificial life (video in the related links below).

Self-replication of a physical system (including the exact definition in the case of species is debatable) involves the construction of dual functional also self-replicating, in this it differs from self – assembly which does not induce the possibility of further copies. These phenomena, of key interest to research on artificial life, have been widely studied but most of the time using abstract systems, or simulated in two dimensions. The machines developed by the U.S. team are called modular . They are composed of several 10 cubic centimeters square with electro-magnets on their sides.

Each module is split into two along its long diagonal, which allows a party to swivel 120 degrees to one another. The cubes, which contain the software replication are supplied by the desk and communicate data and power by their sides. With this device, researchers have obtained replication of a four-module robot in 2.5 minutes from “spare parts” (other cubes) placed near

In the arrangements put in place, the robot is involved in building its own creation. Although these machines are very simple compared with biological systems (under more than one automaton cell in 3D), work only in the limited laboratory and have no useful function, they are proof that self-replication mechanics is possible (only two other machines of this type are known).

The authors of the experiment, published in the journal Nature, the principle developed could eventually be adapted to the design of robots that could replicate or at least replace their own faulty modules, for example in the field of ‘space exploration or operations in hazardous environments.