Programmable Matter (Claytronics)

— Hypothetical Essays on Ybymarian Technology —

    1. Initial concept

    Claytronics involves the concept of microbots capable of connecting and forming complex structures. Each microbot is shaped like a cube, with each side capable of physically locking onto the adjacent microbot and moving in relation to nearby microbots through electromagnets.

    ach microbot can be called ‘argibot,’ a portmanteau of the Portuguese ‘argilotrônica’ (claytronics) and robot. In practice, argibots function similarly to biological cells, interacting with each other and forming larger structures.

    2. Types of argibots

    There are five types of argibots that make up anything modeled with programmable matter: structural, energetic, repairing, manufacturing, and conducting. Each type has a specific function, which is described below.

    2.1 – Structural argibots

    Structural argibots were the first to be developed. They are small cubes with slightly rounded edges and vertices to facilitate rolling on nearby argibots. The cubic shape allows for a larger contact area, providing greater physical resistance. Each face has eight electromagnets and a bilateral fitting. See the illustration:

    There are two arrangements for each face, with a hole or with a retractable fitting.

    Three sides have the retractable fitting, and the other three have the hole.

    There are also four fixed fittings on each face, two of which are holes and two are projections, to provide greater firmness in the fitting of the argibots.

     The retractable fitting has several locking points so that the argibots can be firmly secured or looser, as if they were a chain or mesh. A possible type of fitting is illustrated below.

    The illustration below shows how the fitting works:

    The illustration below shows how the dock works:

    2.2 – Energetic argibots

    For programmable matter to have practical uses, argibots must be small. In fact, the smaller they are, the more versatile the programmable matter can be. However, miniaturization introduces an additional challenge related to energy consumption. As long as the structural argibots are in the locking position, fixed or malleable, there is no energy expenditure. However, any change of conformation will require energy to be made, a scarce resource in structural argibots. Therefore, within the ‘dough’ of programmable matter, energetic argibots are inserted, whose function is to supply energy to the structural and other argibots.

    They must be much larger than the structural ones and do not necessarily need to be cubic. To charge their tiny battery, the electromagnets themselves can be used. The argibot has eight on each face; four attach it to the energetic, and four receive the energy.

    A possible configuration for energetic argibots is illustrated below.

    2.3 – Argibôs reparadores

    No matter how strong argibots are, at some point they will wear out and break. In this situation, repair argibots are utilized to perform minor repairs on other argibots. To achieve this, they must have great mobility, and a more spherical shape as shown in the previous item is advantageous.

    Some faces of this type of argibot must be intended as a passage for the tools that will be used in repairs. If the repair cannot be done locally, the defective argibot must be taken to a manufacturer to be repaired or used as raw material to build other argibots.

    2.4 – Manufacturer argibots

    They are the largest argibots in size, as they are used to repair or manufacture other argibots. They must contain space for storing raw materials (which can be external) and for assembling at least one structural argibot. They can also only manufacture parts that will be assembled externally by repairers, allowing them to be manufactured themselves

    Given the complexity of its functions, it can also be a kind of control center that guides the conformation and behavior of the entire mass of programmable matter.

    2.5 – Conductive argibots

    They are argibots that can distend or contain coiled wires or flexible tubes inside. These can be stretched to transport liquid raw materials or, in the case of wires, transmit power or data.

    They may not be useful in every application due to their specialized function, but they are very useful for building with rigid materials or in places with a lot of external interference in data transmission.

    2.6 – Special argibots

    In addition to the types mentioned, there may be others, such as blade-shaped for cutting, laser emitters, or more resistant ones to form a protection or shield for other, more fragile argibots. Ultimately, the possibilities are limitless.

    3 – Conclusion

    As can be seen, claytronics has extensive practical uses and can be used to form self-molding, rigid, flexible, and other structures, the only limitation of which is that it will always be more fragile than structures made of rigid matter.