This document discusses the concept of self-replicating electromechanical robots. It describes how robots made of modular cubes that can bend and manipulate other cubes could replicate themselves by bending over to pick up additional cubes and adding them to the growing replica. The process is inspired by DNA replication. Key requirements for self-replicating robots include mobility, communication, processing, and sensors. An example is given of a soft, self-regenerating robotic octopus arm that could mimic an octopus' muscular structure and virtually unlimited degrees of freedom. The goal is to create robots that can replicate or repair themselves to operate more flexibly in space or hazardous environments.

1. ELECTROMECHANICAL SELF
REPRODUCTION
By, Melvin Alex

2. Why self replication machines?
• Robots that could replicate or at least repair themselves while
working in space or in hazardous environments.
• Robots sent to explore Mars could carry a supply of spare modules to
use for repairing or rebuilding as needed, allowing for more flexible,
versatile and robust missions.
• solar satellites in space.

3. John Von Neumann

5. Reproduction
vs
Replication

6. Capability Requirements
• Mobility
• Communication
• Processing
• Sensors

7. Key decision-making factors for the
robot construction

8. Self replicating Robot

10. Working principle
• Based on our input command we can modify the stucture in many
different shapes and sizes.
• modular cubes -- called "molecubes."
• cubes have electromagnets .
• tower of cubes can bend itself over at a right angle to pick up
another cube, which allows a robot composed of many cubes to
bend, reconfigure and manipulate other cubes.

11. Diagonal Cut

12. • To begin replication, the stack of
cubes bends over and sets its top
cube on the table. Then it bends
to one side or another to pick up a
new cube and deposit it on top of
the first. By repeating the process,
one robot made up of a stack of
cubes can create another just like
itself. the robot being built assists
in completing its own
construction.

13. Inspiration from DNA replication

14. Turing machine

17. L.S. Penrose‘s Self-reproducing Machines

20. 3D PRINTING

21. Electric motors and Circuits made by 3D printing

22. Bioinspired Octopus robot arm

24. Embodied design requirements
• To locomote and manipulate animals need to integrate sensory-motor
information and couple it to their body dynamics.
• combination of softness and stiffness actuators.
• electro-active polymers (EAPs), shape memory alloys (SMAs).
• CNS/PNS architecture presented in an octopus’ nervous system.
• robot made of silicone rubber.

25. CONCEPT
• If the diameter of the muscular-hydrostats decreases, then their
length increases, and vice versa.
• the arm is soft, including only springs, which are aligned to mimic the
muscular structure of the octopus.
• Robotic arm can be regenerated by electro-polymerization.
• virtually unlimited degrees of freedom.

27. References
• https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/5/2/12/htm
• https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/1.A33409
• https://www.creativemachineslab.com/self-replication.html
• https://scihub.se/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324022524
_Bioinspiration_lessons_from_a_self-
replicating_machine_concept_in_a_constrained_environment