Mini Modular Robots: The Future of Space-Saving Furniture and Assistance

These mini modular robots are called room BOTS and they're made by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, also known as EPFL for short. These autonomous rollable stackable robotic orbs can lock onto each other to form a variety of shapes and perform a variety of functions. They're still in the proof-of-concept stage of development, but the possibilities are literally limitless.

A recent video released by the EPFL shows the robots autonomously assembling into a chair with an occasional human assist to nudge them into position or change batteries. Think about the potential here, especially for folks limited living space someday instead of awkwardly pulling a chair out of storage when you've got company you can just call on your room BOTS to make an extra chair for you right there on the spot. They could probably make moving a whole lot easier.

The room BOTS also can light up in case you need help finding them in the dark or you just want some modular furniture that can turn up another potential use of these robots is that they can help modify and enhance existing furniture for example you could enable a table to pick a pen off the floor and keep itself level over slopes and stairs. When it comes to chairs, loom BOTS can push one around by rolling on the ground to follow you or stay out of your hair.

For some of these experiments, the room BOTS worked in conjunction with a Microsoft Kinect camera enabling the robots to move in reaction to the movements of a person. These room BOTS aren't the only modular robots currently in development mi t--'s M blocks 2.0 connect to each other using magnets and use a barcode type system to identify one another inside the blocks is a flywheel capable of 20,000 rotations per minute when a break is applied to the flywheel it creates the momentum that moves the blocks.

While these modular robots don't yet appear to be as dexterous as some other robots which were designed to perform specific tasks, the appeal of modular robots is that they could be deployed in cases where the exact type of robotic assistance required is hard to predict. For example, the MIT engineers behind the M blocks and vision potentially being used to aid in disaster response perhaps being put to work rebuilding a part of a staircase that was damaged so rescue workers could have easier access.

Similarly, the EPFL envisions the room bots might be a space saver in small apartments or a way to enhance furniture to assist people with limited mobility. In addition to their potential earthly uses, modular robots could also play an important role in building a future for humans in space. In a NASA contest aimed at designing a home for astronauts on Mars, architecture firm hassel envisioned modular robots arriving long before the first astronauts to get a head start on building a base camp.

Modular robots with these types of capabilities are years if not decades away but these early prototypes certainly proved that like the humans that created them these modular robots can accomplish a whole lot more when they work together. What would you do with your very own swarm of modular robots? Let us know down below for more of the latest future tech news, check out these videos as always, thanks so much for watching I'm your host Jess ural stay safe out there everybody

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthese mini modular robots can configure themselves to make move or enhance furniture they're called room BOTS and they're made by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne or EPFL for short these autonomous rollable stackable robotic orbs can lock onto each other to form a variety of shapes and perform a variety of functions they're still in the proof-of-concept stage of development but the possibilities are literally limitless a recent video released by the EPFL shows the robots autonomously assembling into a chair with an occasional human assist to nudge them into position or change batteries think about the potential here especially for folks limited living space someday instead of awkwardly pulling a chair out of storage when you've got company you can just call on your room BOTS to make an extra chair for you right there on the spot they could probably make moving a whole lot easier to the room BOTS also can light up in case you need help finding them in the dark or you just want some modular furniture that can turn up another potential use of these robots is that they can help modify and enhance existing furniture for example you could enable a table to pick a pen off the floor and keep itself level over slopes and stairs when it comes to chairs loom BOTS can push one around by rolling on the ground to follow you or stay out of your hair for some of these experiments the room BOTS worked in conjunction with a Microsoft Kinect camera enabling the robots to move in reaction to the movements of a person these room BOTS aren't the only modular robots currently in development mi t--'s M blocks 2.0 connect to each other using magnets and use a barcode type system to identify one another inside the blocks is a flywheel capable of 20,000 rotations per minute when a break is applied to the flywheel it creates the momentum that moves the blocks while these modular robots don't yet appear to be as dexterous as some other robots which were designed to perform specific tasks the appeal of modular robots is that they could be deployed in cases where the exact type of robotic assistance required is hard to predict for example the MIT engineers behind the M blocks and vision potentially being used to aid in disaster response perhaps being put to work rebuilding a part of a staircase that was damaged so rescue workers could have easier access similarly the EPFL envisions the room bots might be a space saver in small apartments or a way to enhance furniture to assist people with limited mobility in addition to their potential earthly uses modular robots could also play an important role in building a future for humans in space in a NASA contest aimed at designing a home for astronauts on Mars architecture firm hassel envisioned modular robots arriving long before the first astronauts to get a head start on building a base camp of course modular robots with these types of capabilities are years if not decades away but these early prototypes certainly proved that like the humans that created them these modular robots can accomplish a whole lot more when they work together what would you do with your very own swarm of modular robots let us know down below for more of the latest future tech news check out these videos as always thanks so much for watching I'm your host Jess ural stay safe out there everybodythese mini modular robots can configure themselves to make move or enhance furniture they're called room BOTS and they're made by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne or EPFL for short these autonomous rollable stackable robotic orbs can lock onto each other to form a variety of shapes and perform a variety of functions they're still in the proof-of-concept stage of development but the possibilities are literally limitless a recent video released by the EPFL shows the robots autonomously assembling into a chair with an occasional human assist to nudge them into position or change batteries think about the potential here especially for folks limited living space someday instead of awkwardly pulling a chair out of storage when you've got company you can just call on your room BOTS to make an extra chair for you right there on the spot they could probably make moving a whole lot easier to the room BOTS also can light up in case you need help finding them in the dark or you just want some modular furniture that can turn up another potential use of these robots is that they can help modify and enhance existing furniture for example you could enable a table to pick a pen off the floor and keep itself level over slopes and stairs when it comes to chairs loom BOTS can push one around by rolling on the ground to follow you or stay out of your hair for some of these experiments the room BOTS worked in conjunction with a Microsoft Kinect camera enabling the robots to move in reaction to the movements of a person these room BOTS aren't the only modular robots currently in development mi t--'s M blocks 2.0 connect to each other using magnets and use a barcode type system to identify one another inside the blocks is a flywheel capable of 20,000 rotations per minute when a break is applied to the flywheel it creates the momentum that moves the blocks while these modular robots don't yet appear to be as dexterous as some other robots which were designed to perform specific tasks the appeal of modular robots is that they could be deployed in cases where the exact type of robotic assistance required is hard to predict for example the MIT engineers behind the M blocks and vision potentially being used to aid in disaster response perhaps being put to work rebuilding a part of a staircase that was damaged so rescue workers could have easier access similarly the EPFL envisions the room bots might be a space saver in small apartments or a way to enhance furniture to assist people with limited mobility in addition to their potential earthly uses modular robots could also play an important role in building a future for humans in space in a NASA contest aimed at designing a home for astronauts on Mars architecture firm hassel envisioned modular robots arriving long before the first astronauts to get a head start on building a base camp of course modular robots with these types of capabilities are years if not decades away but these early prototypes certainly proved that like the humans that created them these modular robots can accomplish a whole lot more when they work together what would you do with your very own swarm of modular robots let us know down below for more of the latest future tech news check out these videos as always thanks so much for watching I'm your host Jess ural stay safe out there everybody\n"