A team led by Matthew Devlin of UC Santa Barbara has created a collective of robotic units that can arrange into various forms with different physical properties. The robots are equipped with motorized gears, magnets, and photodetectors, allowing them to move, attach, and receive instructions. While the technology is still in its early stages, it has the potential to revolutionize various fields, including robotics and materials science. The researchers drew inspiration from tissues in embryos to design the robots, which can currently change shape and shift between solid and fluid-like states. However, the team acknowledges that there are still significant challenges to overcome, including reducing the size of the robots and increasing their power efficiency.