The concept of modular robots is not new, but with 'claytronics,' a form of 'programmable matter,' it is pushed to a new extreme. It will take billions of micron-scale 'claytronic atoms' or 'catoms' to create computer generated artifacts as if they were the real thing, such as a self-assembling synthetic doctor coming to your house via Internet -- and controlled by the real one living miles away. Or you can imagine several colleagues from around the world appearing magically in your local meeting room, as reports CIO Magazine. But don't dream too fast! This kind of technology, developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), which plans to reproduce moving 3D objects in the real world, shouldn't be available before twenty years. Read more.
Sources: Christopher Lindquist, CIO Magazine, September 15, 2005 issue; and various web sites
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