SELF-CONFIGURING MODULAR ROBOTICS, some examples: “1. Most important is the incredible flexibility that comes from the ability to change the physical structure and behavior of a solution by changing the software that controls modules. 2. The ability to self-repair by automatically replacing a broken module will make SRCMR solution incredibly resilient. 3. Reducing the environmental foot print by reusing the same modules in many different solutions.””
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http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_matter