New Robot Moves Like Water And Can Build Itself

How do you create a robot that can do pretty much anything? It is a task that thousands of researchers and home builders are trying to solve. For one particular individual, Alberto, the idea is as intriguing as the solution. Alberto’s solution is a new robot called DTTO, and it looks like it belongs in a science fiction movie.

According to Hackaday Prize jury, a future-exploring robot has to have a number of traits. This is their motivation, [pullquote]”Ideally, it has to be capable of being any size, any shape, and any functionality, shapeless like water, flexible and smart.“[/pullquote] Creating a robot that matches this description is not an easy task as you can see. However, Alberto is on to something incredibly interesting and intriguing.

Unlike conventional robots, Alberto’s is modular. The core idea behind the DTTO robot is to allow the actual robot to be the building blocks of a larger one. If this sounds complicated, it’s because it is. To give a robot the ability to build itself is an incredibly complex mechanic to solve. However, Alberto seems to have pulled it off with his DTTO robot.

Have a look at the videos and you will see the genius solution behind this new robot mechanic. Well, it’s not exactly new. It borrows inspiration from other robots showcasing the same behavior; that’s true. But DTTO is still a remarkable piece of technology that can change the course of robot history.

If the DTTO robot can climb and place itself in whatever location, this is huge. By the looks of it, that is how the new robot behaves. The question is how high it can climb on itself and still function like a slithery snake?

This is Alberto’s Hackaday Prize entry and, hopefully, it will allow him to win the grand prize. Head over to his DTTO page and show him some support. It’s a great build, and it is going to be interesting to follow the project and its progression.

What do you think of self-building robots? Do they have a place in the future? Let us know in the comment section below.