Bombyx Mechanica

In the not so surprising fashion of replacing mother nature, Markus Kayser, and fellow MIT robotics engineers, built and commissioned 16 robots that act like silkworms, but instead of silk, they are producing fiberglass.  The fiberglass pipes are said to be very durable, as their first test of surviving a Massachusetts winter season, was a success. 

The robots are very simply designed.  Each one is equipped with tiny plastic arm that rests on the top.  The body is made of a silicone balloon, that the arm spins the fiberglass around.  So they are robots that can spin fiberglass, so what?   Well the amazing theoretical applications of these bots are quite impressive.  Being made of flexible materials allows the bots to bend to many shapes, maybe allowing humanity to build in places we never dreamed of before (I’m thinking somewhere off planet!).

The even nicer thing about these bots is they can be controlled remotely, ultimately eliminating the human risk of on-site accident’s and deaths.Information like this definitely gives me a good feeling about the future.This is a great step into the next tech revolution.