From YahooNews: 

A robot invention with a leg to stand on

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US scientist has created a robot that can find a way to keep working on its own after suffering damage, an invention that could prove useful for robotic space missions in distant planets, according to a study.

Joshua Bongard, a University of Vermont engineer whose research article appeared in Friday’s Science Magazine, pulled off one of a homemade robot’s four legs for his experiment.

The robot was programmed to assess the damage by moving in playful-looking sequences allowing it to find the problem, Bongard said.

Once the damage was identified, the robot created a new way to move without the missing limb, allowing it to continue its mission.

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