Reconfigurable Robots ~ MIT CBA's Milli-Motein

MIT's David Chandler writes about The robotic equivalent of a Swiss army knife...

"The little device is called a milli-motein -- a name melding its millimeter-sized components and a motorized design inspired by proteins, which naturally fold themselves into incredibly complex shapes. [...] The team had to invent an entirely new kind of motor: not only small and strong, but also able to hold its position firmly even with power switched off. The researchers met these needs with a new system called an electropermanent motor."

Thus mechanical proteins as programmable matter!