There’s still a long list of things that separate robots and living beings, but a new study suggests that the list has become just a bit shorter. Developing robots that “grow,” “heal,” and adapt their bodies to their surroundings, researchers from Columbia University have demonstrated that robots can become bigger and better by “consuming” other robots — a process that’s a lot like the metabolism in a living being.

This “robot metabolism,” described in a paper published today in Science Advances, allows a robot to integrate the material of other machines into its body, representing an important step towards making robots more resilient and self-sufficient.

“True autonomy means robots must not only think for themselves but also physically sustain themselves,” said Philippe Martin Wyder, a study author and a researcher at Columbia Engineering and the University of Washington, in a press release. “Just as biological life absorbs and integrates resources, these robots grow, adapt, and repair using materials from their environment or from other robots.”