Modular self-reconfigurable robots (or MSRRs) have been a hot topic in a sub-set of the robotics community for a few years now. Experts have theorized that an entity that can alter its own anatomy at will is closer to a sentient being than one that can’t. With a bit of ingenuity, one robot could potentially serve the purpose of five. The tech is still very much in an infant state, but SMORES showcases an interesting step forward.
SMORES, or Self-Assembling MOdular Robot for Extreme Shapeshifting, is an MSRR composed of multiple movement-capable units bonded together by a remote central intelligence. Utilizing special electromagnetic plates, it can firmly attach its units together into all sorts of creative and potentially useful shapes. For example, by attaching multiple units in a line and carefully enabling and disabling its plates, SMORES can effectively become a robotic caterpillar, allowing it to climb up a low flight of stairs. In a more recent incarnation of SMORES, a webcam was attached to the central intelligence unit and pointed toward colored targets. By using the colors as a reference, the intelligence unit was able to deploy its units individually to tag the targets before bringing them back and reattaching them to the whole.
If robots like SMORES could be perfected, we could have a new avenue for search and rescue. Units could be deployed into cramped spaces and directed remotely to map out disaster areas, or even transport small materials.
