The new research from MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms is built on years of research, including recent studies demonstrating that objects like a deformable airplane wing and a functional racing car can be assembled from tiny identical lightweight pieces - and that robotic devices can be built to do some of the assembly work.The team has now demonstrated that both the assembler bots and the structure being built can be made of the same sub-units and that the robots can move independently in large numbers to complete large-scale assemblies quickly.Researchers at MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms have made progress toward flocks of assembler robots that could build almost anything — including buildings, vehicles, and even bigger robots.https://t.co/5lGhXuawsopic.twitter.com/sKITgsGAmc — Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (@MIT) November 23, 2022As per MIT, voxels (a term borrowed from computer graphics) are at the heart of the system, carrying power and data that can be shared between pieces.While earlier versions of assembler bots were connected by bundles of wires to their power source and control systems, "what emerged was the idea of structural electronics - of making voxels that transmit power and data as well as force.""