Mechanisms for self-organizing robots which reconfigure in a vertical plane

Abstract

A novel concept of collective robots with mechanical self-organization in a vertical plane is proposed and demonstrated. It is potentially applicable to autonomous mobile robots. In this system, gravity is the most critical among all physical constraints. To reconfigure in a gravitational environment, new types of mechanisms and control strategies are necessary. As the first step, this paper mostly discusses the mechanisms. The authors have fabricated prototype robots for the proof of concept. Each robot is composed of a body and a pair of arms. The body can be regarded as a cube with edge length of 90 mm, and is equipped with permanent magnets for bonding with another robot. The arms change the bonding configuration by rotation and sliding motions. They are driven by radio-controlled servomoters. Four robots successfully formed a stairs-like structure.