New algorithms and electronic components could enable
printable robots that self-assemble when heated.
Printable robots — those that can be assembled from parts
produced by 3-D printers — have long been a topic of research in the lab of
Daniela Rus, the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science at MIT.
At this year’s IEEE International Conference on Robotics and
Automation, Rus’ group and its collaborators introduce a new wrinkle on the
idea: bakable robots.