Viral Structures

The unique parameters of interplanetary colonization suggest that the architecture of a place such as the moon needs to be grown rather than built. This realization gave way to modular robotics: small autonomous robots that can utilize local resources and self-replicate. The simple modules can build upon themselves to create larger, more diverse objects in the same way that the letters in our English language can build upon themselves to create words, sentences, and paragraphs.

We are attempting to mechanically grow our built environment. Thus, we see our modules less as architectural elements and more as biological entities. It is only logical then, that we conceptually base our module design on the basic building blocks of life: molecules.

We translated the bonds created between two molecules as structural members. These members provide the strength necessary for all types of structures in our colony. At both ends of these members are the “molecules,” in which we interpreted as the connections between structural members.

These connections allow members to attach themselves to any open member at any point, very much like the bonding process in biology. The connection arms can rotate 360 degrees providing a range of expansion in all three dimensions. The arms can also open in a movement similar to a hand. This allows members to add and subtract themselves to and from a system without disturbing the whole. We believe this set of protocols gives us the flexibility to create diverse and complex structures with a single building block.