Swiss researchers are developing robotic furniture made of small, mechanized modules that can move to configure into different shapes such as a bench or a table.

Called "roombots," the robotic modules work through a series of rotating motors and latching mechanisms, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. The modules, which were developed at Biorobotics Laboratory at école polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, could eventually be used to help disabled or elderly people have more mobility in their homes.

The movable furniture will begin with a group of the modules stacked together, which then can be reconfigured into different structures; for example, a bed made of the modules could gradually shift into being a chair.

"The modules detach from this pile to form structures of two or more modules," Massimo Vespignani, a PhD student at BioRob, told Gizmag. At this point they can start moving around the room in what we call off-grid locomotion. We are currently trying to control larger structures, while trying to reduce as much as possible the energy consumption and impacts with the ground."

According to the researchers, whose work will be published in the July issue of Robotics and Autonomous Systems, the roombots could also be attached to regular furniture to be shifted more easily.

"We can 'augment' existing furniture by placing compatible connectors on it and attaching roombot modules to allow it to move around the house," Vespignani told Gizmag.

While the technology is still a long from the market, the scientists and engineers behind the modules have a clear aim in mind.

"Our ultimate goal is for sure to improve the quality of life," Vespignani told Gizmag. "There are still a lot of research questions and technical challenges to solve. I would say they could be in the market in 20 years."

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