Robotic Self-Replication in a Structured Environment without Computer Control | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore

Robotic Self-Replication in a Structured Environment without Computer Control


Abstract:

The ability to self-replicate is one of the distinctive features of living organisms. Robots capable of self-replication would have a profound impact on the field of robo...Show More

Abstract:

The ability to self-replicate is one of the distinctive features of living organisms. Robots capable of self-replication would have a profound impact on the field of robotics by improving lifetime and robustness. In the past our lab has built several prototypes of self-replicating robotic systems including semi-autonomous and fully-autonomous robots with microprocessor-based control, and a self-replicating electromechanical circuit composed of basic electronic elements (transistors, resistors, etc.). These previous efforts demonstrated that man-made systems with simple behaviors are capable of self-replication. Extending our previous results, in this paper, we present an autonomous self-replicating robotic system with distributed electronic components in a structured environment. Using simple discrete electronic components allows for a more uniform decomposition of each robot into simpler parts than for microprocessor-controlled systems. Ultimately, we would like to demonstrate robots that replicate from the most basic parts, and this paper represents one more step toward achieving this goal.
Date of Conference: 20-23 June 2007
Date Added to IEEE Xplore: 16 July 2007
ISBN Information:
Conference Location: Jacksonville, FL, USA

References

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