MIT researchers are currently working what they see as the next phase of robotics: bakable robots. In two recently released papers, the scientists outline how specially designed, self-folding components could be produced using 3D printers, which could then be baked in order to form working robot parts. We have this big dream of the hardware compiler, where you can specify, ‘I want a robot that will play with my cat,’ or ‘I want a robot that will clean the floor,’ said Daniela Rus, professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT in an official statement, and from this high-level specification, you actually generate a working device. The first paper details how a computer-generated 3D shape can be built using self-folding plastics. The second delves into how the electrical components can be laid out to make the robot function when its done baking.