‘Cannibal’ robot can grow by consuming other machines

• Scientists at Columbia University in New York have developed a robot capable of growing and healing by consuming other robots.
• This innovation allows machines to absorb and reuse components from others, heralding a new dimension of autonomy for artificial intelligence.
• The research team demonstrated the concept with a robotic magnet stick, the Truss Link, which can self-assemble and enhance its performance by integrating new parts.
• An example showed a tetrahedron-shaped robot increasing its speed by over 50 per cent by incorporating a new Truss Link as a walking stick.
• The developers suggest these self-sustaining robots could be used in specialised applications such as disaster recovery and space exploration, potentially enabling AI to construct physical structures.

IN FULL

Scientists just invented robots that feed on other robots