CLAYTRONICS

According to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, USA, Claytronics is an ensemble of material that contains sufficient local computation, actuation, storage, energy, sensing and communication which can be programmed to form interesting dynamic shapes and configuration. Claytronics is seen as an extension of nanotechnology, which involves the integration of billions of modular robots into a single unit. These modular robots are technically referred to as catoms or claytronic atoms. Each atom is self-sufficient; it can act as a single unit and in an ensemble as well. In simple words, Claytronics is a research field that deals with creating submillimeter sized spherical robots called catoms, which can interact with each other and function as a single unit. Catoms, or Claytronics Atoms, are also referred to as 'programmable matter'. The goal of claytronics is to create 3D robots which can mimic real life objects with high-fidelity, including the look and texture of the objects. For example, claytronics might be used in tele-presence to mimic, with highfidelity and in three-dimensional solid form, the look, feel, and motion of the person at the other end of the telephone call.