Finally: Robot furniture that builds itself

Designs would consist of Roombot modules — which resemble two dice stuck together, and contain a battery, three motors for movements and pivoting, and a wireless connection. Each module is just 22cm long and the team imagine just 10 of them could combine to build a broad range of furniture. “The Roombots would be coupled with more passive materials such as a table top or cushion to create the end results,” says Ijspeert.

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However, the team’s immediate goals are to create mobile furniture to assist the elderly and those with reduced mobility. “Let’s say an elderly person is using a walker, the furniture could have modules attached for it to move out of the way in a cluttered apartment or have a stool follow the person and remain close by,” describes Ijspeert.

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