Scientists at the Center for Bits and Atoms at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have launched a project to create robots that can self-assemble into larger structures.

The team acknowledges that developing such a fully autonomous device will “take years,” but there are already positive results.

The system demonstrated by the researchers includes large useful structures consisting of an array of tiny identical subunits called voxels. Each of them can transfer power and data from one device to another.

This allows you to create structures that can withstand loads and perform work like moving and manipulating objects.

Robot prototypes designed by scientists consist of chains of interconnected voxels. They can grab and attach additional subunits before moving across the grid for further assembly.

According to them, the proposed method can be applied in areas that today either require significant capital investments in stationary infrastructure, or are not feasible at all.

The scientists added that developing the right level of intelligence for such systems is a big hurdle. Among other things, robots must determine how and where to build, when to start constructing a new installation, and be able to avoid accidental “collisions” in the process.