This lil self-molding robot came out of a DARPA-funded project at MIT to build “programmable matter” (in a non-nanotech context free of grey goo risks). I keep seeing it hyped online as the first steps towards a real Transformer, which I guess is a neat link-bait hook, but no doubt leads to plenty of disappointed link-followers who click through only to see what amounts to a pretty slow robo-worm. But watch the video, because the legitimately exciting lede is getting buried: In order to build the worm these MIT poindexters had to invent a new kind of super-small gearless motor that holds its position even after power is removed, making for a sort of electromechanical e-ink. It’s a far cry from a Transformer, but really promising in construction, for example, where these tiny motors could control vents and blinds to regulate temperatures, controlling air flow and how much sun chines directly into a building, rather than clicking the HVAC off and on constantly to jockey the temperature.
(via The tiny transforming robot that can turn into (almost) anything – The Week)
Skip to content
