Self-sculpting smart sand could assemble itself into solid replicas of objects
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Daniela Rus and Kyle Gilpin, the authors of the algorithm that could lead to the development of smart sand (Photo: M. Scott Brauer)
"Smart pebbles" are cubes about 10 millimeters to an edge, with processors and magnets built in (Photo: M. Scott Brauer)
The cubes use electropermanent magnets to connect to each other, to communicate and to share power (Photo: M. Scott Brauer)
Article Summary
Research currently underway at MIT’s Distributed Robotic Laboratory (DRL) could lead to an innovative replicative manufacturing technique with the disruptive potential equal to that of 3D printing. Imagine a sand-like material that could autonomously assemble itself into a replica of any object encased within. Incredible though this may sound, the DRL researchers have already managed to build a large scale proof-of-concept, with 10-mm cubes acting as the grains.
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