Media from: Self-sculpting sand
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Daniela Rus, left, and Kyle Gilpin.
Photo: M. Scott Brauer
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To test their algorithm, the researchers designed and built a system of 'smart pebbles' — cubes about 10 millimeters to an edge, with processors and magnets built in.
Photo: M. Scott Brauer
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To attach to each other, to communicate and to share power, the cubes use 'electropermanent magnets,' materials whose magnetism can be switched on and off with jolts of electricity. Each cube has magnets — recognizable by the reddish wires wrapped around them — on four of its six faces.
Photo: M. Scott Brauer
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