The new approach to construction is described in a paper appearing this week   
   in the journal Science, co-authored by postdoc Kenneth Cheung and Neil   
   Gershenfeld, director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms.   
      
   Gershenfeld likens the structure -- which is made from tiny, identical,   
   interlocking parts -- to chainmail. The parts, based on a novel geometry that   
   Cheung developed with Gershenfeld, form a structure that is 10 times stiffer   
   for a given weight than    
   existing ultralight materials. But this new structure can also be disassembled   
   and reassembled easily -- such as to repair damage, or to recycle the parts   
   into a different configuration.   
      
   The individual parts can be mass-produced; Gershenfeld and Cheung are   
   developing a robotic system to assemble them into wings, airplane fuselages,   
   bridges or rockets -- among many other possibilities.   
      
   http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130815145151.htm   
      
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