Shape-shifting robot inspired by insect swarms and tree roots is teaching itself to mark contamination zones
West Virginia University roboticists are working on an alternative path to robot autonomy in Loopy, a "multicellular robot" composed of a ring of individual interconnected robot cells. Supported by a National Science Foundation award, the WVU team will test Loopy's ability to "co-design" itself, determining its own shape with limited support from human engineers. With no direct programming