The first robots with metabolisms can grow and heal.

The first robots with a mechanical metabolism have been developed: they can physically grow, adapt, and repair themselves by integrating materials from their environment or from other robots . They are not yet the self-replicating robots of science fiction films, but they pave the way for increasingly autonomous and resilient machines . The results are published in the journal Science Advances by researchers at Columbia University in the United States.

"As we entrust more and more of our lives to robots—from driverless cars to automated manufacturing to defense and space exploration— who will care for these robots ?" asks Hod Lipson, director of the Creative Machines lab where the work was conducted. "We can't rely on humans to maintain these machines. Robots ultimately have to learn to take care of themselves ."

" True autonomy means that robots must not only think autonomously , but also physically support themselves ," says Philippe Martin Wyder, lead author of the study. "Just as biological life absorbs and integrates resources, these robots grow , adapt , and repair themselves using materials from their environment or from other robots." The process was demonstrated using a modular robot inspired by the Geomag toy , made up of magnetic rods equipped with connectors that can join other modules at different angles to form increasingly complex three-dimensional structures .

" Robot minds have made great strides in the last decade thanks to machine learning, but robot bodies are still monolithic, non-adaptive, and non-recyclable," Lipson emphasizes. "Robotic metabolism," Wyder adds, "provides a digital interface with the physical world and allows AI to progress not only cognitively but also physically , creating a whole new dimension of autonomy . Initially, systems capable of using robotic metabolism will be used in specialized applications such as emergency situations or space exploration . Ultimately, it opens the door to a world where AI can build physical structures or robots just as it writes or rearranges words in an email today."