Hacker News Reader

"But the researchers believe that a more refined version of their system could prove useful even at something like its current scale. Armies of mobile cubes could temporarily repair bridges or buildings during emergencies, or raise and reconfigure scaffolding for building projects. They could assemble into different types of furniture or heavy equipment as needed. And they could swarm into environments hostile or inaccessible to humans, diagnose problems, and reorganize themselves to provide solutions." http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/simple-scheme-for-self-as...

Self assembling furniture

Imagine just buying a crate and unloading it in your living room.

Obviously they're far away from something that could create visibly pleasing furniture.. But this is just the first step

Science and technology are incremental. Someone needs to take the first step before the second can be taken.