OH CRAP : Scientists create robotic cubes that can reproduce~

Researchers at Cornell University in New York have created robotic cubes that can create copies of themselves in under three minutes which, surprisingly, the scientists purport are simple machines. Self-replicating robots are simple? That's because that's all the cubes do — at the moment. They could easily be outfitted with tools for specific tasks, the researchers say. The application for a machine that could reconstruct a copy of itself — reproduce, if you will — or repair itself with limited materials are nearly endless~

So when will we be propelled into this glorious future (and come one step closer to having to fend of relentless, self-replicating robots such as Stargate's Replicators, pictured above)? Nailing down the process of reproducing robots in only one step in a larger puzzle, as scientists still need to figure out how to apply the 'bots effectively~

via : National Geographic