Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40668909›Full record

ArticleScience advances2025

Robot metabolism: Toward machines that can grow by consuming other machines.

Philippe Martin Wyder, Riyaan Bakhda, Meiqi Zhao, Quinn A Booth, Matthew E Modi, Andrew Song, Simon Kang, Jiahao Wu, Priya Patel, Robert T Kasumi and 10 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Arthropod-Inspired Miniature Modular Vibration Direct-Drive Robot With Untethered Locomotion.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Philippe Martin WyderMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1878-802X
Riyaan BakhdaComputer Science, Columbia University, 450 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Meiqi ZhaoComputer Science, Columbia University, 450 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0004-5077-4909
Quinn A BoothElectrical Engineering, Columbia University, 1310G S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0006-8559-9375
Matthew E ModiElectrical Engineering, Columbia University, 1310G S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8754-1026
Andrew SongMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0000-1482-6928
Simon KangMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0000-6556-5959
Jiahao WuMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0007-3748-1716
Priya PatelMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Robert T KasumiMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0006-8823-8188
David YiMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0008-9624-0477
Nihar Niraj GargMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0001-6586-530X
Pranav JhunjhunwalaMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5375-8307
Siddharth BhutoriaComputer Science, Columbia University, 450 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0001-1131-4529
Evan H TongComputer Science, Columbia University, 450 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0007-2719-3112
Yuhang HuMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1964-5784
Judah GoldfederComputer Science, Columbia University, 450 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0009-0004-3892-7079
Omer MustelComputer Science, Columbia University, 450 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3701-4954
Donghan KimComputer Science, Columbia University, 450 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4966-9904
Hod LipsonMechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 220 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0769-4618

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Biological lifeforms can heal, grow, adapt, and reproduce, which are abilities essential for sustained survival and development. In contrast, robots today are primarily monolithic machines with limited ability to self-repair, physically develop, or incorporate material from their environments. While robot minds rapidly evolve new behaviors through artificial intelligence, their bodies remain closed systems, unable to systematically integrate material to grow or heal. We argue that open-ended physical adaptation is only possible when robots are designed using a small repertoire of simple modules. This allows machines to mechanically adapt by consuming parts from other machines or their surroundings and shed broken components. We demonstrate this principle on a truss modular robot platform. We show how robots can grow bigger, faster, and more capable by consuming materials from their environment and other robots. We suggest that machine metabolic processes like those demonstrated here will be an essential part of any sustained future robot ecology.

Identifiers

PMID40668909
PMCPMC12266095

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.