Scientists at the Cornell University in Ithaca, New York have created small robots that can build copies of themselves. Self-replicating robots are no longer the stuff of science fiction.
Each robot consists of several 10-cm cubes which have identical machinery, electromagnets to attach and detach to each other and a computer programme for replication. The robots can bend and pick up and stack the cubes.
"Although the machines we have created are still simple compared with biological self-reproduction, they demonstrate that mechanical self-reproduction is possible and not unique to biology," Hod Lipson said in a report in the science journal Nature on Wednesday.
He and his team believe the design principle could be used to make long term, self-repairing robots that could mend themselves and be used in hazardous situations and on space flights.
The experimental robots, which don’t do anything else except make copies of themselves, are powered through contacts on the surface of the table and transfer data through their faces. They self-replicate by using additional modules placed in special "feeding locations."
The machines duplicate themselves by bending over and putting their top cube on the table. Then they bend again, pick up another cube, put it on top of the first and repeat the entire process. As the new robot begins to take shape it helps to build itself.
"The four-module robot was able to construct a replica in 2.5 minutes by lifting and assembling cubes from the feeding locations," said Lipson.
輔助閱讀：
據(jù)路透社報(bào)道，位于紐約伊薩卡的康奈爾大學(xué)的科學(xué)家研制出能夠自我復(fù)制的小型機(jī)器人。自此，可自我復(fù)制的機(jī)器人不再是科幻小說中才會(huì)有的情節(jié)素材。
每個(gè)機(jī)器人都由多個(gè)10cm大小的立方體組成。這些立方體具有同一的部件、互相連接或分離的電磁石和計(jì)算機(jī)復(fù)制程序。這些機(jī)器人可以對(duì)立方體進(jìn)行變形、選擇、疊加等操作。
“與生物學(xué)上的自我復(fù)制相比，我們所研制的機(jī)器尚非常簡單。但這證明了自我復(fù)制并不是生物學(xué)上的特有性能，機(jī)械的自我復(fù)制也是可能的?！?本周三Hod Lipson在科學(xué)期刊《自然》上的一篇報(bào)告中說到。
他和他的研究小組相信，該設(shè)計(jì)原理可用于制造長期的可自我修復(fù)的機(jī)器人。這種機(jī)器人可以進(jìn)行自我調(diào)整，可應(yīng)用于危險(xiǎn)環(huán)境下和太空飛行中。
這種實(shí)驗(yàn)性機(jī)器人通過與工作臺(tái)表面的接觸而獲得能量，通過面部來傳遞數(shù)據(jù)。它們只進(jìn)行自我復(fù)制，不進(jìn)行任何其他操作。這種自我復(fù)制是由置于專門的“供給區(qū)”的附加模組實(shí)現(xiàn)的。一個(gè)四模組機(jī)器人在2.5分鐘內(nèi)即可完成對(duì)從“供給區(qū)”選取出的立方體的重新組合，實(shí)現(xiàn)一次復(fù)制。
Each robot consists of several 10-cm cubes which have identical machinery, electromagnets to attach and detach to each other and a computer programme for replication. The robots can bend and pick up and stack the cubes.
"Although the machines we have created are still simple compared with biological self-reproduction, they demonstrate that mechanical self-reproduction is possible and not unique to biology," Hod Lipson said in a report in the science journal Nature on Wednesday.
He and his team believe the design principle could be used to make long term, self-repairing robots that could mend themselves and be used in hazardous situations and on space flights.
The experimental robots, which don’t do anything else except make copies of themselves, are powered through contacts on the surface of the table and transfer data through their faces. They self-replicate by using additional modules placed in special "feeding locations."
The machines duplicate themselves by bending over and putting their top cube on the table. Then they bend again, pick up another cube, put it on top of the first and repeat the entire process. As the new robot begins to take shape it helps to build itself.
"The four-module robot was able to construct a replica in 2.5 minutes by lifting and assembling cubes from the feeding locations," said Lipson.
輔助閱讀：
據(jù)路透社報(bào)道，位于紐約伊薩卡的康奈爾大學(xué)的科學(xué)家研制出能夠自我復(fù)制的小型機(jī)器人。自此，可自我復(fù)制的機(jī)器人不再是科幻小說中才會(huì)有的情節(jié)素材。
每個(gè)機(jī)器人都由多個(gè)10cm大小的立方體組成。這些立方體具有同一的部件、互相連接或分離的電磁石和計(jì)算機(jī)復(fù)制程序。這些機(jī)器人可以對(duì)立方體進(jìn)行變形、選擇、疊加等操作。
“與生物學(xué)上的自我復(fù)制相比，我們所研制的機(jī)器尚非常簡單。但這證明了自我復(fù)制并不是生物學(xué)上的特有性能，機(jī)械的自我復(fù)制也是可能的?！?本周三Hod Lipson在科學(xué)期刊《自然》上的一篇報(bào)告中說到。
他和他的研究小組相信，該設(shè)計(jì)原理可用于制造長期的可自我修復(fù)的機(jī)器人。這種機(jī)器人可以進(jìn)行自我調(diào)整，可應(yīng)用于危險(xiǎn)環(huán)境下和太空飛行中。
這種實(shí)驗(yàn)性機(jī)器人通過與工作臺(tái)表面的接觸而獲得能量，通過面部來傳遞數(shù)據(jù)。它們只進(jìn)行自我復(fù)制，不進(jìn)行任何其他操作。這種自我復(fù)制是由置于專門的“供給區(qū)”的附加模組實(shí)現(xiàn)的。一個(gè)四模組機(jī)器人在2.5分鐘內(nèi)即可完成對(duì)從“供給區(qū)”選取出的立方體的重新組合，實(shí)現(xiàn)一次復(fù)制。