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Self-Made Modular

Short answer: Self-reconfigurable modular robots are machines built from many units that can rearrange how they connect, to change shape for new tasks or to repair themselves. The idea of applying a common connector to a whole robot dates to Toshio Fukuda's CEBOT in the late 1980s.

About 30 systems had been built by the time of the Wikipedia survey, but demonstrations have topped out around 50 units, and the promised robustness and low cost haven't been shown. The footage isn't one of those systems. It shows GITAI's Lunar Rover and three Inchworm robots with grapple ends building a 5-meter communications tower in a desert simulating the Moon. GITAI and KDDI announced the demo in December 2023 and March 2024. The robots then attached an antenna, connected power and took the tower apart again.

VideoWrite-up4 sources

In collections:Machines of Tomorrow

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What should you know about Self-Made Modular?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. Self-reconfigurable modular robots trace back to Toshio Fukuda's CEBOT ('cellular robot') in the late 1980s.

    DD-061-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit B (Origins)

  2. GITAI's Inchworm robots and Lunar Rover built and then took apart a 5-meter tower in a desert simulating the Moon.

    DD-061-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit E (What the footage shows)

Video transcript: Self-Made Modular: Robots That Build With Modules

DID YOU KNOW? Self-assembling solar-powered modular robots are advanced robotic systems composed of multiple identical or complementary units called modules, that can autonomously connect, disconnect, and rearrange themselves to adapt to tasks or environments. Each module harvests energy from sunlight, allowing for untethered, long duration operation in remote or extraterrestrial settings. These robots use algorithms for decentralized coordination, shape morphing and dynamic reconfiguration, enabling them to form different structures or tools. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 29.2s Reel ·

Video coming soonSelf-Made Modular · Instagram Reel
Self-Made Modular: Robots That Build With Modules Instagram Reel · · 29.2s

The write-up

Robots that build with modules. Inchworm robots stacking a 5-meter tower in a desert standing in for the Moon.

  1. Exhibit A

    What they are

    Self-reconfigurable modular robots can change their own shape by rearranging how their modules connect, to adapt to new tasks or recover from damage. Modules can carry electronics, sensors, processors and power supplies.

  2. Exhibit B

    Origins

    Applying a common connection mechanism to a whole robot began with Toshio Fukuda's CEBOT (cellular robot) in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s Mark Yim, Gregory Chirikjian and Satoshi Murata built chain and lattice systems.

  3. Exhibit C

    Still mostly prototypes

    Only systems of up to about 50 units have been demonstrated. Lab prototypes have been fragile and expensive, and the promised robustness and low cost haven't been shown.

  4. Exhibit D

    Self-assembly vs. reconfiguration

    Self-assembling systems are built from modules but can't actively control their final shape, so formally they're a different family from self-reconfigurable robots.

  5. Exhibit E

    What the footage shows

    The clips show GITAI's Lunar Rover and three Inchworm robots, with grapple end-effectors on both ends of their arms. In a desert simulating the lunar surface, they built a 5-meter communications tower, attached an antenna, connected power, and then took the tower apart.

  6. Exhibit F

    Lunar construction

    Space is a leading proposed use. A 2026 paper shows dual robot arms autonomously assembling modular solar panels for a future lunar base.

Questions people ask about Self-Made Modular

What can a self-reconfigurable modular robot do?

It changes shape to adapt to new tasks or recover from damage.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (What they are) · Self-reconfiguring modular robot (Wikipedia)

What was CEBOT?

Toshio Fukuda introduced it in the late 1980s.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Origins) · Self-reconfiguring modular robot (Wikipedia)

About how many units has the largest demonstration reached?

That number stagnated for nearly a decade.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Still mostly prototypes) · Self-reconfiguring modular robot (Wikipedia)

Which company's robots appear in the footage?

They were Inchworm robots and a Lunar Rover.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (What the footage shows) · GITAI successfully demonstrates robotics construction capabilities for lunar communications towers (GITAI, March 5, 2024); GITAI and KDDI demonstrate robotic construction for lunar communications towers (KDDI Newsroom, Dec. 7, 2023)

How tall was the tower they built?

The test was in a desert simulating the Moon.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (What the footage shows) · GITAI successfully demonstrates robotics construction capabilities for lunar communications towers (GITAI, March 5, 2024); GITAI and KDDI demonstrate robotic construction for lunar communications towers (KDDI Newsroom, Dec. 7, 2023)

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. What can a self-reconfigurable modular robot do?

    1. Copy itself
    2. Rearrange its modules to change shape
    3. Fly unaided
    4. Run without power
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Rearrange its modules to change shape It changes shape to adapt to new tasks or recover from damage. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (What they are) · Self-reconfiguring modular robot (Wikipedia)

  2. What was CEBOT?

    1. A lunar rover
    2. An early 'cellular robot'
    3. A solar cell
    4. A chess program
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. An early 'cellular robot' Toshio Fukuda introduced it in the late 1980s. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Origins) · Self-reconfiguring modular robot (Wikipedia)

  3. About how many units has the largest demonstration reached?

    1. 5
    2. 50
    3. 5,000
    4. 5 million
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. 50 That number stagnated for nearly a decade. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Still mostly prototypes) · Self-reconfiguring modular robot (Wikipedia)

  4. Which company's robots appear in the footage?

    1. Boston Dynamics
    2. GITAI
    3. Tesla
    4. iRobot
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. GITAI They were Inchworm robots and a Lunar Rover. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (What the footage shows) · GITAI successfully demonstrates robotics construction capabilities for lunar communications towers (GITAI, March 5, 2024); GITAI and KDDI demonstrate robotic construction for lunar communications towers (KDDI Newsroom, Dec. 7, 2023)

  5. How tall was the tower they built?

    1. 1 meter
    2. 5 meters
    3. 50 meters
    4. 500 meters
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. 5 meters The test was in a desert simulating the Moon. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (What the footage shows) · GITAI successfully demonstrates robotics construction capabilities for lunar communications towers (GITAI, March 5, 2024); GITAI and KDDI demonstrate robotic construction for lunar communications towers (KDDI Newsroom, Dec. 7, 2023)

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Self-Made Modular." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-061, last updated Jul 9, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/self-made-modular/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/self-made-modular/ · Last updated

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Cite a single fact by its ID, for example DD-061-F01 → https://detailenjoyer.com/case/self-made-modular/#DD-061-F01

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