The concept of robots designing other robots may seem like a futuristic idea, but researchers at MIT are already exploring this possibility. The field of “robotic soft co-design” combines AI with robotics to create autonomous entities that can self-replicate. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we design and manufacture robots. The researchers are using ChatGPT to generate robot designs, which are then refined using “diffusion models” to eliminate design flaws. The results are astonishing, with AI-generated designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. However, there are still limitations to this technology, and the researchers are working to address issues such as editability and the ability to inject human-designed elements into the design process. As this technology advances, it raises important questions about the role of AI in our society and the potential consequences of autonomous robots.

Robots Designing Robots
“Imagine a robot is growing from noise to a structured body throughout diffusion; this embedding is like the ‘gene’ of the generated robot, and the optimization is modifying the gene that drives the generated robots toward better physical utility.”
1–2 minutes










