A new robotic platform developed at the University of Chicago can adapt to its surroundings in real time for applications in unfamiliar environments.
The platform, dubbed the Granulobot, consists of many identical motorized units each a few centimeters in diameter. The units are embedded with a Wi-Fi microcontroller and sensors and use magnets to engage other units.
As its name suggests, the Granulobot is inspired by the physics of granular materials, which are large aggregates of particles that exhibit a range of complex behaviors. After water, these are the most ubiquitous material on the planet.
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