  We define the nervous system of a robot as the processing unit responsible
for controlling the robot body, together with the links between the processing
unit and the sensorimotor hardware of the robot - i.e., the equivalent of the
central nervous system in biological organisms. We present autonomous robots
that can merge their nervous systems when they physically connect to each
other, creating a "virtual nervous system" (VNS). We show that robots with a
VNS have capabilities beyond those found in any existing robotic system or
biological organism: they can merge into larger bodies with a single brain
(i.e., processing unit), split into separate bodies with independent brains,
and temporarily acquire sensing and actuating capabilities of specialized peer
robots. VNS-based robots can also self-heal by removing or replacing
malfunctioning body parts, including the brain.
