This is just plain cool.

[jmercer]

Science-fiction coming to real-life... again.

 

[bob_kark]

Sounds pretty cool if they can get it to work. They seem to have an awful lot of programming left to do if they plan on making it a reality.

 

[Cuddles]

The intelligent fabric doesn't exist yet, but Intel has created prototypes of the components that make up intelligent fabric

Sounds cool, but looks like they have a little work left.

 

[russingram]

sounds a lot like this:

http://discuss.foresight.org/~josh/Ufog.html

This article has been around since the early '90's, at least.

Cool stuff! We might actually get to see it in our lifetime!

 

[Dustin Kesselberg]

What Sci-fi movie was that from? Batman Begins?

 

[Piscivore]

Pfft. They're wasting their time with this and I still don't have a sex robot.


ETA: Although, "Essentially it is a robotic system with thousands of robots moving against each other in a constrained way." is getting close, I suppose.

 

[Hawk one]

Pfft. They're wasting their time with this and I still don't have a sex robot.

Why do you need a sex robot in the first place?

 

[Piscivore]

Why do you need a sex robot in the first place?

Obviously, so I can program it to seduce and marry rich old men and then have it transfer all their assets to me.

 

[dogjones]

Very Stanislaw Lem.

 

[Oxymoron]

I Robot. There, I said it. Great Googly Moogly, the end is near.

 

[SPQR]

I'd say this is the coolest part of the article:

The group has also demonstrated how small groups of actuators could move objects. In one demonstration, two cylinders covered in rows of electromagnets are propelled across a surface through repulsion and attraction. The cylinders do not contain moving parts.

Landspeeders, anyone?