Columbia University Develops Self-Growing and Self-Healing Robot

Today’s robots face numerous limitations—their bodies are typically closed systems that cannot grow, self-repair, or adapt to their surroundings. According to foreign media reports, scientists at Columbia University have developed a robot capable of physical 'growth', 'self-healing', and self-enhancement by integrating materials from its environment or other robots. A new study published in the journal 'Science Advances' describes this process known as 'robotic metabolism,' which allows robots to absorb and reuse components from other robots or their surroundings. Philippe Martin Wyder, the lead author and researcher from Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Science and the University of Washington, explained, 'True autonomy means that robots not only think independently but also can maintain their physical form autonomously. Just like biological organisms that absorb and integrate resources, these robots can grow, adapt, and repair themselves using materials from their environment or other robots.'