This ICES Cubes system is a collection of independently controlled mechatronic modules (links) and passive connection elements (cubes). A link has the ability to connect to and disconnect from the face of a cube. While attached to a cube on one end, links are also capable of moving themselves and another cube attached to the other end. We envision all active (link) and passive (cube) modules as capable of permitting power and information flow to their neighboring modules.

As the links move (with or without attached cubes), attach, and detach themselves to the cubes, the morphology of the system changes. The three-dimensional oriented network formed by the modules (where the links can be visualized as lines connecting the nodes formed by cubes) break at a point when a link detaches itself from a cube, and a new connection is formed when a link re-attaches to a cube. If a link moves a cube attached to it, the location of the nodes on the network changes. The system described here can therefore dynamically reconfigure itself.