MIT researchers creating self-replicating robots with built-in intelligence

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers are building swarms of tiny robots that have a built-in intelligence, allowing them to build structures, vehicles, or even larger versions of themselves. The subunit of the robot, which is being developed at MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, is called a voxel and is capable of carrying power and data. "When we're building these structures, you have to build in intelligence," MIT Professor and CBA Director Neil Gershenfeld said in a statement. "What emerged was the idea of structural electronics -- of making voxels that transmit power and data as well as force." Each individual'voxel' is not only a building block, but is also loaded with power and data that give it the power to work with other units during assembly.