Realizing the promise of robotic self-x systems

Extract

Consider a robot trying to accomplish a mission in an unfamiliar, hostile, and dynamic environment. As the robot encounters a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, it quickly reconfigures itself into two smaller robots, and with the aid of a nearby puddle of water, these two robots conduct self-detection procedures to confirm successful reconfiguration. One robot then calibrates itself using its reduced sensor suite and begins climbing over the obstacle, whilst the other robot folds itself into a compact structure and finds a crevice it can use to bypass the obstacle. But when the obstacle shifts, both robots send signals to a base to warn of impending mission failure. A copy of the original robot, located at the base, receives these warning signals and initiates a rapid self-replication process by assembling available resources. The resultant robotic offspring are then ready to continue the mission when called upon.