English researchers have developed a robot that can not only create 3-D replicas of objects like shoes and door handles - it also can replicate itself.
Scientists from the University of Bath in England unveiled an open-source machine that acts like a three-dimensional printer. Instead of printing out documents or pictures on paper, this printer uses blueprints to produce 3-D plastic objects.
The machine has been dubbed RepRap, which is short for replicating rapid-prototyper.
The goal is to eventually build a robot that can produce individual processors and circuit boards so people can build their own computers, according to Zack Smith, director of the RepRap Research Foundation.
"It's a printing press for the digital age," Smith told Computerworld. "The goal is to have one on everyone's desk. If it could build circuit boards, someone could design and build their own at home. Open-source electronics is a movement that's really taking hold."...
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This post has been edited by ZachR: 24 June 2008 - 01:14 AM