Beyond Audio and Video: Using Claytronics to Enable Pario

The goal of the Claytronics Project is to create ensembles of cooperating submillimeter robots, which work together to form dynamic three-dimensional physical objects. For example, claytronics might be used in telepresense to mimic, with high-fidelity and in three-dimensional solid form, the look, feel, and motion of the person at the other end of the telephone call. To achieve this long-range vision we are investigating hardware mechanisms for constructing submillimeter robots, which can be manufactured en masse using photolithography. We also propose the creation of a new media type, which we call pario. The idea behind pario is to render arbitrary moving, physical three-dimensional objects that you can see, touch, and even hold in your hands.