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Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robots

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Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science

Definition of the Subject

Modular self-reconfigurable (MSR) robots are robots composed of a large number of repeated modules that can rearrange their connectednessto form a large variety of structures. An MSR system can change its shape to suit the task, whether it is climbing through a hole, rolling likea hoop, or assembling a complex structure with many arms.

These systems have three promises:

Versatility:

The ability to reconfigure allows a robot to disassemble and/or reassemble itself to form morphologies that are well-suited for a variety of given tasks.

Robustness:

Since the system is composed of many repeated parts which can be rearranged during operation, faulty parts can be discarded and replaced with an identical module on-the-fly, leading to self-repair.

Low cost:

MSR systems can lower module costs since mass production of identical unit modules has an economic advantage that scales favorably. Also, a range of complex machines can be made from a set of modules saving the...

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Abbreviations

Bonding mechanism:

A mechanism that allows modules to attach to other modules. Self-reconfigurable modules have the ability to selectively make and break attachments to other modules.

Configuration:

The connectivity arrangement of modules in a system which describes which modules is physically attached and adjacent to which.

Configuration recognition:

The process of automatically determining a modular robot’s connectivity arrangement.

Decentralized control :

A control system in which the controller elements are not central in location (like the brain) but are distributed throughout the system with each component sub-system controlled by one or more controllers.

Enumeration algorithm:

A routine that counts and displays the number of unique, non-isomorphic configurations of a given modular robotic system.

Global bus:

Communication setup such that when one unit talks all other units can listen, as opposed to neighbor to neighbor communication in which communication occurs only between two units.

Isomorphic configurations :

Modular structures that have the same morphology but are arranged differently according to their module labels.

Morphology:

The form or structure of some entity, more specifically, the connectivity arrangement of modules in a system independent of module labels.

Reconfiguration algorithm :

A method that transforms a given robotic configuration to a desired configuration via a sequence of module detachments and reattachments.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

    Mark Yim, Paul White, Michael Park & Jimmy Sastra

Authors
  1. Mark Yim
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  2. Paul White
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  3. Michael Park
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  4. Jimmy Sastra
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. RAMTECH LIMITED, 122 Escalle Lane, Larkspur, CA, 94939, USA

    Robert A. Meyers Ph. D. (Editor-in-Chief) (Editor-in-Chief)

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Yim, M., White, P., Park, M., Sastra, J. (2009). Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robots. In: Meyers, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30440-3_334

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