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Northwestern’s evolving robots can survive being separated into many pieces, with each part adapting independently.

105,672 views • 3 months ago •via X (Twitter)

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Researchers at Northwestern University have developed "legged metamachines," a new class of modular robots whose unique physical forms were evolved entirely by artificial intelligence. Rather than following traditional human-engineered blueprints, the researchers used AI to "grow" novel body configurations in a computer simulation, resulting in strange new "species" that move like seals, lizards, or kangaroos. These AI-driven designs bypass standard dog- or human-like structures to create machines that no human engineer would have conceived. The machines are composed of autonomous, Lego-like modules, each containing its own motor, battery, and computer. While individual modules can move on their own, their true agility and near-indestructibility emerge through the AI-evolved architecture that allows them to function as a collective. Because the design is inherently modular, these robots can survive catastrophic damage that would be fatal to traditional machines. Broken parts do not become dead weight; instead, the AI-designed system allows them to keep rolling or crawling independently to rejoin the team. Lead researcher Sam Kriegman notes that these are the first robots to step outdoors after evolving inside a computer. They can survive being cut into pieces, as every separated module remains an individual agent capable of continuing its journey. The study, conducted at the McCormick School of Engineering, was co-authored by Kriegman and PhD students Chen Yu, David Matthews, and Jingxian Wang.

Michał Podlewski

14,954 views • 3 months ago