Here are mergeable robots that combine their nervous systems to take on various tasks. Modular robots have been around for some time. Nithin Mathews, Anders Lyhne Christensen, Rehan O’Grady, Francesco Mondada & Marco Dorigo have built robots that self-assemble and reconfigure to become better at taking on different types of terrain and performing a wide range of tasks.
As the researchers explain:
the robots we present can merge to form larger bodies with a single centralized controller, split into separate bodies with independent controllers, and self-heal by removing or replacing malfunctioning body parts.
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