Toward self-replicating robots

In this paper we describe several prototypes of self-replicating robotic systems that have been developed at JHU. In contrast to self-reconfiguration, self-replication is the process of assembling a functional robot from passive components. The robot that is assembled (the replica) is an exact copy of the robot doing the assembling. Our presentation marks the beginning of the JHU effort in this area. The future impact of self-replicating systems is potentially enormous. In particular, the cultivation of material and energy resources in outer space using facilities built by self-replicating systems is an attractive application area worth serious consideration.