Illumination Adaptive Identification Algorithm of a Reconfigurable Modular Robot

Reconfigurable modular robots feature high mobility due to their unconstrained connection manners.Inspired by the snake multi-joint crawling principle,a chain-type reconfigurable modular robot(CRMR)is designed,which could reassemble into various configurations through the compound joint motion.Moreover,an illumination adaptive modular robot identification(IAMRI)algorithm is proposed for CRMR.At first,an adaptive threshold is applied to detect oriented FAST features in the robot image.Then,the effective detection of features in non-uniform illumination areas is achieved through an optimized quadtree decomposition method.After matching features,an improved random sample consensus algorithm is employed to eliminate the mismatched features.Finally,the reconfigurable robot module is identified effectively through the perspective transformation.Compared with ORB,MA,Y-ORB,and S-ORB algorithms,the IAMRI algorithm has an improvement of over 11.6%in feature uniformity,and 13.7%in the comprehensive indicator,respectively.The IAMRI algorithm limits the relative error within 2.5 pixels,efficiently completing the CRMR identification under complex environmental changes.

Design of a novel modular self-reconfigurable robot capable of self-turning

To solve the problem of inaccurate angle adjustment in the self-assembly process, a new homogenous hybrid modular self-reconfigurable robot-Xmobot is designed. Each module has four rotary joints and a self-turning mechanism. With the proposed self-turning mechanism, the angle adjusting accuracy of the module is increased to 2°, and the relative position adjusting efficiency of the module in the self-assembly process is also improved. The measured maximum moving distance of the proposed module in a gait cycle is 11.0 cm. Aiming at the multiple degree of freedom （MDOF） feature of the proposed module, a motion controller based on the central pattern generator （CPG） is proposed. The control of five joints of the module only requires two CPG oscillators. The CPG-based motion controller has three basic output modes, i. e. the oscillation, the rotation, and the fixed modes. The serpentine and the wheeled movements of the H-shaped robot are simulated, respectively. The results show that the average velocities of the two movements are 15. 2 and 20. 1 m/min, respectively. The proposed CPG-based motion controller is evaluated to be effective.

Motion simulation and experiment of a novel modular self-reconfigurable robot

Based on the character of the modular self-reconfigurable （MSR） robot, a novel homogeneous and lattice MSR robot, M-Cubes, was designed. Each module unit of the robot has 12 freedoms and is composed of six rotary joints and one cubic link. An attached/detached mechanism was designed on the rotary joints. A novel space transmitting system was placed on the inner portion of the cubic link. A motor separately transmitted torque to the six joints which were distributed equally on six surfaces of the cubic link. The example of a basic motion for the module was demonstrated. The result shows that the robot is concise and compact in structure, highly efficient in transmission, credible in connecting, and simple in controlling. At the same time, a simulator is developed to graphically design the system configuration, the reconfiguration process and the motion of cluster modules. The character of local action for the cellular automata （CA） is utilized. Each module is simplified as a cell. The transition rules of the CA are developed to combine with the genetic algorithm （GA） and applied to each module to accomplish distributed control. Simulation proves that the method is effective and feasible.

ANALYSIS OF TIPOVER STABILITY FOR NOVEL SHAPE SHIFTING MODULAR ROBOT

A novel three-module robot has been introduced. It can change its configuration to adapt to the uneven terrain and to improve its tipover stability. This three-module tracked robot has three kinds of symmetry configuration. They are line type, triangle type, and row type. After the factors and the countermeasures of mobile robot＇s tipover problem are analyzed, stability pyramid and tipover stabil-ity index are proposed to globally determinate the mobile robot＇s static stability and dynamic stability. The shape shifting robot is tested by this technique under the combined disturbance of pitch, roll and yaw in simulation. The simulation result shows that this technique is effective for the analysis of mobile robot＇s tipover stability, especially for the reconfigurable or shape shifting modular robot. Experiments on three symmetry configurations are made under unstructured environments. The environment experiment shows the same result as that of the simulation that the triangle type configuration has the best stability. Both simulation and experiment provide a valid reference for the reconfigurable robot＇s potential application.

Three-dimensional Construction and Omni-directional Rolling Analysis of a Novel Frame-like Lattice Modular Robot

Lattice modular robots possess diversity actuation methods, such as electric telescopic rod, gear rack, magnet, robot arm, etc. The researches on lattice modular robots mainly focus on their hardware descriptions and reconfiguration algorithms. Meanwhile, their design architectures and actuation methods perform slow telescopic and moving speeds, relative low actuation force verse weight ratio, and without internal space to carry objects. To improve the mechanical performance and reveal the locomotion and reconfiguration binary essences of the lattice modular robots, a novel cube-shaped, frame-like, pneumatic-based reconfigurable robot module called pneumatic expandable cube（PE-Cube） is proposed. The three-dimensional（3D） expanding construction and omni-directional rolling analysis of the constructed robots are the main focuses. The PE-Cube with three degrees of freedom（Do Fs） is assembled by replacing the twelve edges of a cube with pneumatic cylinders. The proposed symmetric construction condition makes the constructed robots possess the same properties in each supporting state, and a binary control strategy cooperated with binary actuator（pneumatic cylinder） is directly adopted to control the PE-Cube. Taking an eight PE-Cube modules＇ construction as example, its dynamic rolling simulation, static rolling condition, and turning gait are illustrated and discussed. To testify telescopic synchronization, respond speed, locomotion feasibility, and repeatability and reliability of hardware system, an experimental pneumatic-based robotic system is built and the rolling and turning experiments of the eight PE-Cube modules＇ construction are carried out. As an extension, the locomotion feasibility of a thirty-two PE-Cube modules＇ construction is analyzed and proved, including dynamic rolling simulation, static rolling condition, and dynamic analysis in free tipping process. The proposed PE-Cube module, construction method, and locomotion analysis enrich the family of the lattice modular robot and provide the instruction to design the lattice modular robot.

Study on Distributed Motion of Self-Reconfigurable Robot Based on Local Rules

The eigenvector of a module with six adjacent module's state was constructed according to self-reconfigurable robot M-Cubes and the configuration of system was expressed with the eigenvectors of all modules.According to the configuration and motion characteristics of the modules,a 3-dimension motion rule set was provided.The rule sets of each module was run according to eigenvector of the module after the motion direction of system decided and motion rules were selected.At last,the rapid and effective motion and metamorphosis were realized in system.The rule sets are operated on three systems and the distributed motion of system is fully realized.The result of simulation shows that the 3-dimension motion rule sets has perfect applicability and extensibility.The motion steps and communication load of the modules increase with the module number in linear.

Metamorphic strategy based on dynamic meta-modules for a self-reconfigurable robot

For a self-reconfigurable robot, how to metamorphose to adapt itself to environment is a difficult problem. To solve this problem, a new relative orientation model which describes modules and their surrounding grids was given, a module motion rules database which enables the robot to avoid obstacles was established, and finally a three-layer planner based on dynamic meta-modules was developed. The firstlayer planner designates the category of each module in robot by evaluation functions and picks out the modules in dynamic meta-modules. The second-layer planner plans the dynamic meta-module path according to output parameters of the first-layer planner. The third-layer planner plans the motion of the modules in dynamic meta-module using topology variation oriented methods. To validate the efficiency of the three-layer planner, two simulations were given. One is the simulation of a single dynamic meta-module, the other is the simulation of planning with an initial configuration composed of 8 modules in complicated environment. Results show that the methods can make robot with any initial configuration move through metamorphosis in complicated environment efficiently.

Vision-based docking system for an aromatic-hydrocarbon-inspired reconfigurable robot

Aromatic hydrocarbons generally refer to compounds containing benzene rings.Many types of isomers can be formed by replacing hydrogen atoms on the benzene ring.In this paper,an aromatic-hydrocarbon-inspired modular robot(AHIMR)is proposed.The robot can be reassembled into different configurations suitable for various task requirements.A vision-based docking system is designed for the AHIMR.The system primarily consists of two stages:a remote guidance stage and a precise docking stage.During the remote guidance stage,an object module is identified using an illumination adaptive target recognition algorithm,and then the active module moves to the docking area through communication with ZigBee.In the precise docking stage,the active module calculates the relative pose with the object module using a perspective-n-point method and dynamically adjusts its posture to dock.In this process,a Kalman filter is used to reduce target occlusion and jitter interference.In addition,the docking system feasibility is verified via several simulation experiments.The module docking accuracy is controlled within 0.01 m,which meets the reconfiguration task requirements of the AHIMR.In the AHIMR submodule docking experiment,the active module accurately moves to the expected position with a docking success rate of 95%.

Quanta-A platform for rapid control and monitoring of heterogeneous rbots

Rapid prototyping,real-time control and monitoring of various events in robots are crucial requirements for research in the fields of modular and swarm robotics.A large quantities of resources(time,man power,infrastructure,etc.)are often invested in programming,interfacing the sensors,debugging the response to algorithms during prototyping and operational phases of a robot development cycle.The cost of developing an optimal infrastructure to efficiently address such control and monitoring requirements increases significantly in the presence of mobile robots.Though numerous solutions have been developed for minimizing the resources spent on hardware prototyping and algorithm validation in both static and mobile scenarios,it can be observed that researchers have either chosen methodologies that conflict with the power and infrastructure constraints of the research field or generated constrained solutions whose applications are restricted to the field itself.This paper develops a solution for addressing the challenges in controlling heterogeneous mobile robots.A platform named Quanta-a cost effective,energy efficient and high-speed wireless infrastructure is prototyped as a part of the research in the field of modular robotics.Quanta is capable of controlling and monitoring various events in/using a robot with the help of a light-weight communication protocol independent of the robot hardware architecture(s).

Configuration analysis of a chain-type reconfigurable modular robot inspired by normal alkane

Normal alkane is an unbranched alkane whose structural formula is H–CH2–CH2–…–CH2–…–CH2–H,which can be regarded as a reconfigurable chain-type structure composed of–CH2–modules.Inspired by normal alkane,a normal-alkane-like reconfigurable modular robot (NAR) is proposed.The module consists of two differential gear trains mounted orthogonally.Each differential gear train contains two input degrees of freedom and two output degrees of freedom.Due to the genderless interface design,multiple modules can be assembled into chain-type configuration.With the genderless interfaces and flexible degrees of freedom,NAR can be reconfigured into different dimensions of spatial configuration.The bond matrix is used to describe the configuration,which represents the bond attitude of the adjacent connected modules.In addition,full interconnected geometric feature (FIGF) algorithm is proposed for non-isomorphic configuration enumeration and judgment.The configurations with three modules are simulated and the results verify the feasibility of the algorithm.Finally,a prototype with three modules is fabricated and the configuration motion sequence is demonstrated.

Center-configuration selection technique for the reconfigurable modular robot

The reconfigurable modular robot has an enormous amount of configurations to adapt to various environments and tasks. It greatly increases the complexity of configuration research in that the possible configuration number of the reconfigurable modular robot grows exponentially with the increase of module number. Being the initial configuration or the basic configuration of the reconfigurable robot, the center-configuration plays a crucial role in system＇s actual applications. In this paper, a novel center-configuration selection technique has been proposed for re- configurable modular robots. Based on the similarities between configurations＇ transformation and graph theory, configuration network has been applied in the modeling and analyzing of these configurations. Configuration adjacency matrix, reconfirmation cost matrix, and center-configuration coefficient have been defined for the configuration network correspondingly. Being similar to the center-location problem, the center configuration has been selected according to the largest center-configuraUon coefficient. As an example of the reconfigurable robotic system, AMOEBA-I, a three-module reconfigurable robot with nine configurations which was developed in Shenyang Institute of Automation （SIA）, Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS）, has been introduced briefly. According to the numerical simulation result, the center-configuration coefficients for these nine configurations have been calculated and compared to validate this technique. Lastly, a center-configuration selection example is provided with consideration of the adjacent configurations. The center-configuration selection technique proposed in this paper is also available to other reconfigurable modular robots.

Network-based reconfiguration routes for a self-reconfigurable robot

This paper presents a network-based analysis approach for the reconfiguration problem of a self-reconfigurable robot. The self-reconfigurable modular robot named ＂AMOEBA-I＂ has nine kinds of non-isomorphic configurations that consist of a configuration network. Each configuration of the robot is defined to be a node in the weighted and directed configuration network. The transformation from one configuration to another is represented by a directed path with nonnegative weight. Graph theory is applied in the reconfiguration analysis, where reconfiguration route, reconfigurable matrix and route matrix are defined according to the topological information of these configurations. Algorithms in graph theory have been used in enumerating the available reconfiguration routes and deciding the best reconfiguration route. Numerical analysis and experimental simulation results prove the validity of the approach proposed in this paper. And it is potentially suitable for other self-reconfigurable robots＇ configuration control and reconfiguration planning.

Self-assembly control and experiments in swarm modular robots

This paper presents a self-assembly control strategy for the swarm modular robots. Simulated and physical experiments are conducted based on the Sambot platform, which is a novel self-assembly modular robot having the characteristics of both the chain-type and the mobile self-reconfigurable robots. Multiple Sambots can autonomously move and connect with one another through self-assembly to form robotic organisms. The configuration connection state table is used to describe the configuration of the robotic structure. A directional self-assembly control model is proposed to perform the self-assembly experiments. The self-assembly process begins with one Sambot as the seed, and then the Docking Sambots use a behavior-based controller to achieve connection with the seed Sambot. The controller is independent of the target configuration. The seed and connected Sambots execute a configuration comparison algorithm to control the growth of the robotic structure. Furthermore, the simul- taneous self-assembly of multiple Sambots is discussed. For multiple configurations, self-assembly experiments are conducted in simulation platform and physical platform of Sambot. The experimental results verify the effectiveness and scalability of the self-assembly algorithms.

Genetic Programming-based Self-reconfiguration Planning for Metamorphic Robot

This paper presents a genetic programming based reconfiguration planner for metamorphic modular robots. Initially used for evolving computer programs that can solve simple problems, genetic programming （GP） has been recently used to handle various kinds of problems in the area of complex systems. This paper details how genetic programming can be used as an automatic programming tool for handling reconfiguration-planning problem. To do so, the GP evolves sequences of basic operations which are required for transforming the robot＇s geometric structure from its initial configuration into the target one while the total number of modules and their connectedness are preserved. The proposed planner is intended for both Crystalline and TeleCube modules which are achieved by cubical compressible units. The target pattern of the modular robot is expressed in quantitative terms of morphogens diffused on the environment. Our work presents a solution for self recontlguration problem with restricted and unrestricted free space available to the robot during reconfiguration, The planner outputs a near optimal explicit sequence of low-level actions that allows modules to move relative to each other in order to form the desired shape.

Task-oriented Hierarchical Control of Modular Soft Robots with External Vision Guidance

General,high-precision theoretical modeling method is not well developed in the field of soft robotics,which holds back motion control and practical application of soft robots.The concept of modularization brings novel structure,novel locomotion patterns as well as novel control method for soft robots.This paper presents the concept of hierarchical control method for modular soft robot system and a H-configuration pneumatic modular soft robot is designed as the control object.The H-configuration modular soft robot is composed of two basic motion units that take worm-like locomotion principle.The locomotion principle of the basic motion unit is analyzed and the actuation sequence is optimized by evolution strategy in VOXCAD simulation software.The differential drive method is applied to the H-configuration modular soft robot with multi motion modes and vision sensor is used to control the motion mode of the robot.The H-configuration modular soft robot and the basic motion unit are assembled by a cubic soft module made of silicone rubber.Also,connection mechanism is designed to ensure that the soft modules can be assembled in any direction and posture.Experiments are conducted to verify the effect of the hierarchical control method of the modular soft robots.

A modular cable-driven humanoid arm with anti-parallelogram mechanisms and Bowden cables

This paper proposes a novel modular cable-driven humanoid arm with anti-parallelogram mechanisms(APMs)and Bowden cables.The lightweight arm realizes the advantage of joint independence and the rational layout of the driving units on the base.First,this paper analyzes the kinematic performance of the APM and uses the rolling motion between two ellipses to approximate a pure-circular-rolling motion.Then,a novel type of one-degree-of-freedom(1-DOF)elbow joint is proposed based on this principle,which is also applied to design the 3-DOF wrist and shoulder joints.Next,Bowden cables are used to connect the joints and their driving units to obtain a modular cable-driven arm with excellent joint independence.After that,both the forward and inverse kinematics of the entire arm are analyzed.Last,a humanoid arm prototype was developed,and the assembly velocity,joint motion performance,joint stiffness,load carrying,typical humanoid arm movements,and repeatability were tested to verify the arm performance.