Morph-ology Movie fans remember Robert Patrick’s wildly morphing bad guy ro-bot in 1991’s Terminator 2 (though he never actually grew a Swiss army knife out of an index finger). Carnegie Mellon researchers are developing their own shape-shifting technology, which would use millions of tiny, ball-shaped robots called “catoms” to form human-oids or other shapes that also could move.

Thin, hair-like strands on the surface would hold the catoms together, much like a the foot hairs of a gecko allow the lizard to cling to walls and ceilings.

Programmable electromagnets cover the surface, allowing catoms to attract each other and move against each other.

Light-emitting diodes would allow them to change color, while photo cells would let them sense light.

Catoms

Each catom would contain its own computer and like-ly would identify itself in the computer network based on its function –– for example, a catom might identify itself as part of a human finger.

For more information and for simulations of catom movement, visit CMU’s Claytronics Web site: www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~claytronics/

James Hilston/Post-GazetteSource: Carnegie Mellon University