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  4. Roombots: A Hardware Perspective on 3D Self-Reconfiguration and Locomotion with a Homogeneous Modular Robot
 
research article

Roombots: A Hardware Perspective on 3D Self-Reconfiguration and Locomotion with a Homogeneous Modular Robot

Spröwitz, Alexander  
•
Möckel, Rico  
•
Vespignani, Massimo  
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2014
Robotics and Autonomous Systems

In this work we provide hands-on experience on designing and testing a self-reconfiguring modular robotic system, Roombots (RB), to be used among others for adaptive furniture. In the long term, we envision that RB can be used to create sets of furniture, like stools, chairs and tables that can move in their environment and that change shape and functionality during the day. In this article, we present the first results towards that long term vision. We demonstrate locomotion and reconfiguration of single and metamodule RB over 3D surfaces, in a structured environment equipped with embedded connection ports. RB assemblies can move around in non-structured environments, by using rotational or wheel-like locomotion. We show a proof of concept for transferring a Roombots metamodule back into the structured grid, by aligning it in an entrapment mechanism. Finally, we analyze remaining challenges to master the full Roombots scenario, and discuss the impact on future Roombots hardware.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1016/j.robot.2013.08.011
Web of Science ID

WOS:000337652200006

Author(s)
Spröwitz, Alexander  
Möckel, Rico  
Vespignani, Massimo  
Bonardi, Stéphane  
Ijspeert, Auke  
Date Issued

2014

Publisher

Elsevier

Published in
Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Volume

62

Issue

7

Start page

1016

End page

1033

Subjects

self-reconfiguring modular robot

•

active connection mechanism

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central pattern generator

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module joining

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modile climbing

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on-grid and off-grit locomotion

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homogeneous modular robot

•

roombots

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

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BIOROB  
Available on Infoscience
September 4, 2013
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/94459
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