Symbiotic Tessellations (WIP)
Description
Symbiotic Tessellations is an intelligent spatial reconfiguration system for assembling and reorganizing architectural structures through distributed, multi-agent robotic collaboration. The project integrates collaborative quadrupedal robots, self-aligning discrete material units, and algorithmic multi-material optimization to generate resilient spaces capable of self-assessment and adaptation in the face of uncertainty.
Main Author
Sergio Mutis
Institution
MIT
Year
2025
2026
Role
The project is authored by Sergio Mutis, developing robot design, cyber-physical control, multi-robot coordination, and structural sequencing and optimization, with fabrication and rendering support from Eric Hughes and Gert Duvenhage.
Collaborators
Eric Hughes
Gert Duvenhage
Advisors
Skylar Tibbits (MIT)
Daniela Rus (MIT)
Marcelo Coelho (MIT)
Behnaz Farahi (MIT)
Justin Werfel (Harvard)​
Mutis S, Duvenhage G, Hughes E. 2026. "Tessellated Biomes: Distributed Robotic Assemblies for Architectural Resilience” CAADRIA. Hsinchu, Taiwan. (in peer-review)
System Design
The robotic system was developed through iterative testing of modular components, prioritizing structural clarity, mechanical balance, and ease of assembly.
Collaborative Material Relocation
Multiple agents coordinate to transport extended assemblies, reducing torque loads and expanding the scale of reconfigurable operations.
NASA + MIT: Zero Robotics
Zero Robotics 2025
The system was deployed for NASA and Space Enabled's Zero Robotics program, an international educational robotics competition, where hundreds of students interacted with the quadrupeds as analogs for space robotics.
Accesibility & Robustness
This educational experience developed and validated the accessibility and robustness beyond the lab and suggesting potential for future community-facing applications.
