In:
The International Journal of Robotics Research, SAGE Publications, Vol. 21, No. 10-11 ( 2002-10), p. 903-915
Abstract:
In this paper we address a reconfiguration planning method for locomotion of a homogeneous modular robotic system and we conduct an experiment to verify that the planned locomotion can be realized by hardware. Our recently developed module is self-reconfigurable. A group of the modules can thus generate various three-dimensional robotic structures and motions. Although the module itself is a simple mechanism, self-reconfiguration planning for locomotion presents a computationally difficult problem due to the many combinatorial possibilities of modular configurations. In this paper, we develop a two-layered planning method for locomotion of a class of regular structures. This locomotion mode is based on multi-module blocks. The upper layer plans the overall cluster motion called flow to realize locomotion along a given desired trajectory; the lower layer determines locally cooperative module motions, called motion schemes, based on a rule database. A planning simulation demonstrates that this approach effectively solves the complicated planning problem. Besides the fundamental motion capacity of the module, the hardware feasibility of the planning locomotion is verified through a self-reconfiguration experiment using the prototype modules we have developed.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0278-3649
,
1741-3176
DOI:
10.1177/0278364902021010835
Language:
English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications
Publication Date:
2002
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2015221-8
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