Algorithms for Modular Self-reconfigurable Robots: Decision Making, Planning, and Learning

Modular self-reconfigurable robots (MSRs) are composed of multiple robotic modules which can change their connections with each other to take different shapes, commonly known as configurations. Forming different configurations helps the MSR to accomplish different types of tasks in different environments. In this dissertation, we study three different problems in MSRs: partitioning of modules, configuration formation planning and locomotion learning, and we propose algorithmic solutions to solve these problems. Partitioning of modules is a decision-making problem for MSRs where each module decides which partition or team of modules it should be in. To find the best set of partitions is a NP-complete problem. We propose game theory based both centralized and distributed solutions to solve this problem. Once the modules know which set of modules they should team-up with, they self-aggregate to form a specific shaped configuration, known as the configuration formation planning problem. Modules can be either singletons or connected in smaller configurations from which they need to form the target configuration. The configuration formation problem is difficult as multiple modules may select the same location in the target configuration to move to which might result in occlusion and consequently failure of the configuration formation process. On the other hand, if the modules are already in connected configurations in the beginning, then it would be beneficial to preserve those initial configurations for placing them into the target configuration as disconnections and re-connections are costly operations. We propose solutions based on an auction-like algorithm and (sub) graph-isomorphism technique to solve the configuration formation problem. Once the configuration is built, the MSR needs to move towards its goal location as a whole configuration for completing its task. If the configuration’s shape and size is not known a priori, then planning its locomotion is a difficult task as it needs to learn the locomotion pattern in dynamic time – the problem is known as adaptive locomotion learning. We have proposed reinforcement learning based fault-tolerant solutions for locomotion learning by MSRs

Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robotic Systems: A Survey on Hardware Architectures

Modular self-reconfigurable robots present wide and unique solutions for growing demands in the domains of space exploration, automation, consumer products, and so forth. The higher utilization factor and self-healing capabilities are most demanded traits in robotics for real world applications and modular robotics offer better solutions in these perspectives in relation to traditional robotics. The researchers in robotics domain identified various applications and prototyped numerous robotic models while addressing constraints such as homogeneity, reconfigurability, form factor, and power consumption. The diversified nature of various modular robotic solutions proposed for real world applications and utilization of different sensor and actuator interfacing techniques along with physical model optimizations presents implicit challenges to researchers while identifying and visualizing the merits/demerits of various approaches to a solution. This paper attempts to simplify the comparison of various hardware prototypes by providing a brief study on hardware architectures of modular robots capable of self-healing and reconfiguration along with design techniques adopted in modeling robots, interfacing technologies, and so forth over the past 25 years

Proceedings: Aeronautics and Space Science

VARIABILITY IN AGN ABSORPTION LINES BASED ON HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE/COS DATA BALQSO KINETIC LUMINOSITY DETERMINATION WITH C III* MEASUREMENTS BREWSTER ANGLE MICROSCOPY AND CHARACTERIZATIONS OF LANGMUIR FILMS SORTING LIGHT’S TOTAL ANGULAR MOMENTUM FOR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS THE PHOSPHORYLATION PATTERN OF RPA2, IN RESPONSE TO DOUBLE-STRAND BREAKS, DIFFERS DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION IN THE CELL AND THE PHASE OF THE CELL CYCLE THE DIOPHANTINE EQUATION Ax^4+By^4=Cz^4 IN QUADRATIC FIELDS THE SBML STANDARD TO SHARE COMPUTATIONAL MODELS OF BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS HIGH SPEED ELECTRO-DISCHARGE DRILLING AND WIRE ELECTRODE-DISCHARGE MACHINING OF TITANIUM ALLOYS FOR AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS ROUTING OVER THE INTERPLANETARY INTERNET WIRELESS INTEGRATED RELAY SYSTEM (WIRS) HUMAN REACTIONS TO FLUCTUATING NOISE CONDITIONS AS PRODUCED BY LOW-BOOM SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT NONINVASIVE, AMBULATORY, LONG-TERM, DEEP GASTROINTESTINAL BIOSENSOR AND IMPLANTER RECONFIGURATION PLANNING OF MODULAR ROBOT UNDER UNCERTAINTY DYNAMIC GAIT ADAPTION IN FIXED CONFIGURATION FOR MODULAR SELF-RECONFIGURABLE ROBOTS USING FUZZY LOGIC CONTROL EARLY STAGE DEVELOPMENT OF A MEDICAL DEVICE FOR NON-INVASIVE MEASUREMENT OF INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE COMPLIANT LAPAROSCOPIC SURGICAL GRASPER MODULAR JOYSTICK FOR VIRTUAL REALITY SURGICAL SIMULATION NOVEL ASSISTIVE LOCOMOTOR TOOL FOR GAIT REHABILITATION IN THE ELDERLY GAIT VARIABILITY HAS NO RELATION TO COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE ON THE PHONETIC FLUENCY TEST EFFECT OF TACTILE STIMULI ON LOCOMOTOR RHYTHM UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PIPELINE IN MATHEMATICS COLLEGE OF SAINT MARY ELEMENTARY SCIENCE OUTREACH PROGRAM FOSTERING STUDENT AWARENESS ON GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP THROUGH CURRICULAR AND CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AUTONOMOUS RC CAR HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOON SOLAR PANEL VOLTAGE VARIATION MICROBENTHIC ALGAE DENSITIES IN THE DUPLIN WATERSHED ESTIMATING UNCERTAINTY OF REFLECTANCE AND ERROR PROPAGATION IN VEGETATION INDICES ESTIMATING SURFACE VISIBILITY ON THE U.S. EAST COAST: INCORPORATING THE AEROSOL VERTICAL PROFILE FROM GEOS-5 EFFECTS OF VOLCANIC EMISSIONS ON THE EARTH-ATMOSPHERE SYSTEM OBSERVING THE TRANSPORTATION OF DUST ON EARTH USING MISR ARGOS AND MICROGRAVITY FREE FLYER EVALUATION UNL LUNABOTICS TEAM: DESIGNING A ROBOT FOR THE NASA LUNABOTICS ROBOT COMPETITION DESIGN, BUILD, FLY UNIVERSITY STUDENT LAUNCH INITIATIVE EHD THIN FILM BOILING IN MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENTS COMBINING SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS OF FIRE ACTIVITY AND NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION TO IMPROVE THE PREDICTION OF SMOKE EMISSIONS SEARCH FOR ASYMMETRIC INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CHIRAL MOLECULES AND SPIN-POLARIZED ELECTRONS AUTOIGNITION IN AN UNSTRAINED METHANOL/AIR MIXING LAYER ANALYSIS OF THE HST/COS SPECTRUM OF THE MASS OUTFLOW IN SEYFERT 1 GALAXY MRK 279 CHARACTERIZATION OF A 5.8KV SIC PIN DIODE FOR ELECTRIC SPACE PROPULSION APPLICATIONS WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER: DESIGN AND APPLICATION FORCE SENSING OF GRASPING EVENTS FOR MINIATURE SURGICAL ROBOTS UNDERSTANDING WALKING AND BREATHING COUPLING WHEN ABNORMAL BREATHING PATTERNS ARE PRESENT EXAMINING THE QUALITY OF MODIS REFLECTANCE PRODUCTS USING A FOUR-BAND SPECTRORADIOMETER INVESTIGATING LAND AND ATMOSPHERE CHARACTERISTICS DURING THE 2012 CENTRAL PLAINS DROUGHT USING MODIS AND TRMM PRODUCTS A MARXIST APPROACH TO US HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY: A REVIEW AND SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY AND APPLICATION OF MARXISM ON THE FIELD OF HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE US JOHN COLLIER, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND THE INDIAN NEW DEA

Proceedings: Aeronautics and Space Science

VARIABILITY IN AGN ABSORPTION LINES BASED ON HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE/COS DATA BALQSO KINETIC LUMINOSITY DETERMINATION WITH C III* MEASUREMENTS BREWSTER ANGLE MICROSCOPY AND CHARACTERIZATIONS OF LANGMUIR FILMS SORTING LIGHT’S TOTAL ANGULAR MOMENTUM FOR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS THE PHOSPHORYLATION PATTERN OF RPA2, IN RESPONSE TO DOUBLE-STRAND BREAKS, DIFFERS DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION IN THE CELL AND THE PHASE OF THE CELL CYCLE THE DIOPHANTINE EQUATION Ax^4+By^4=Cz^4 IN QUADRATIC FIELDS THE SBML STANDARD TO SHARE COMPUTATIONAL MODELS OF BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS HIGH SPEED ELECTRO-DISCHARGE DRILLING AND WIRE ELECTRODE-DISCHARGE MACHINING OF TITANIUM ALLOYS FOR AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS ROUTING OVER THE INTERPLANETARY INTERNET WIRELESS INTEGRATED RELAY SYSTEM (WIRS) HUMAN REACTIONS TO FLUCTUATING NOISE CONDITIONS AS PRODUCED BY LOW-BOOM SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT NONINVASIVE, AMBULATORY, LONG-TERM, DEEP GASTROINTESTINAL BIOSENSOR AND IMPLANTER RECONFIGURATION PLANNING OF MODULAR ROBOT UNDER UNCERTAINTY DYNAMIC GAIT ADAPTION IN FIXED CONFIGURATION FOR MODULAR SELF-RECONFIGURABLE ROBOTS USING FUZZY LOGIC CONTROL EARLY STAGE DEVELOPMENT OF A MEDICAL DEVICE FOR NON-INVASIVE MEASUREMENT OF INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE COMPLIANT LAPAROSCOPIC SURGICAL GRASPER MODULAR JOYSTICK FOR VIRTUAL REALITY SURGICAL SIMULATION NOVEL ASSISTIVE LOCOMOTOR TOOL FOR GAIT REHABILITATION IN THE ELDERLY GAIT VARIABILITY HAS NO RELATION TO COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE ON THE PHONETIC FLUENCY TEST EFFECT OF TACTILE STIMULI ON LOCOMOTOR RHYTHM UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PIPELINE IN MATHEMATICS COLLEGE OF SAINT MARY ELEMENTARY SCIENCE OUTREACH PROGRAM FOSTERING STUDENT AWARENESS ON GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP THROUGH CURRICULAR AND CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AUTONOMOUS RC CAR HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOON SOLAR PANEL VOLTAGE VARIATION MICROBENTHIC ALGAE DENSITIES IN THE DUPLIN WATERSHED ESTIMATING UNCERTAINTY OF REFLECTANCE AND ERROR PROPAGATION IN VEGETATION INDICES ESTIMATING SURFACE VISIBILITY ON THE U.S. EAST COAST: INCORPORATING THE AEROSOL VERTICAL PROFILE FROM GEOS-5 EFFECTS OF VOLCANIC EMISSIONS ON THE EARTH-ATMOSPHERE SYSTEM OBSERVING THE TRANSPORTATION OF DUST ON EARTH USING MISR ARGOS AND MICROGRAVITY FREE FLYER EVALUATION UNL LUNABOTICS TEAM: DESIGNING A ROBOT FOR THE NASA LUNABOTICS ROBOT COMPETITION DESIGN, BUILD, FLY UNIVERSITY STUDENT LAUNCH INITIATIVE EHD THIN FILM BOILING IN MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENTS COMBINING SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS OF FIRE ACTIVITY AND NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION TO IMPROVE THE PREDICTION OF SMOKE EMISSIONS SEARCH FOR ASYMMETRIC INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CHIRAL MOLECULES AND SPIN-POLARIZED ELECTRONS AUTOIGNITION IN AN UNSTRAINED METHANOL/AIR MIXING LAYER ANALYSIS OF THE HST/COS SPECTRUM OF THE MASS OUTFLOW IN SEYFERT 1 GALAXY MRK 279 CHARACTERIZATION OF A 5.8KV SIC PIN DIODE FOR ELECTRIC SPACE PROPULSION APPLICATIONS WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER: DESIGN AND APPLICATION FORCE SENSING OF GRASPING EVENTS FOR MINIATURE SURGICAL ROBOTS UNDERSTANDING WALKING AND BREATHING COUPLING WHEN ABNORMAL BREATHING PATTERNS ARE PRESENT EXAMINING THE QUALITY OF MODIS REFLECTANCE PRODUCTS USING A FOUR-BAND SPECTRORADIOMETER INVESTIGATING LAND AND ATMOSPHERE CHARACTERISTICS DURING THE 2012 CENTRAL PLAINS DROUGHT USING MODIS AND TRMM PRODUCTS A MARXIST APPROACH TO US HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY: A REVIEW AND SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY AND APPLICATION OF MARXISM ON THE FIELD OF HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE US JOHN COLLIER, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND THE INDIAN NEW DEA

A Hybrid and Extendable Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robotic System

Modular robotics has the potential to transform the perception of robotic systems from machines built for specific tasks to multi-purpose tools capable of performing virtually any task. This thesis presents the design, implementation and study of a new self-reconfigurable modular robotic system for use as a research and education platform. The system features a high-speed genderless connector (HiGen), a hybrid module (HyMod), an extensions framework, and a control architecture. The HiGen connector features inter-module communication and is able to join with other HiGen connectors in a manner that allows either side to disconnect in the event of failure. The rapid actuation of HiGen allows connections to be made and broken at a speed that is, to our knowledge, an order of magnitude faster than existing mechanical genderless approaches that feature single-sided disconnect, benefiting the self-reconfiguration time of modular robots. HyMod is a chain, lattice, and mobile hybrid modular robot, consisting of a spherical joint unit that is capable of moving independently and grouping with other units to form arbitrary cubic lattice structures. HyMod is the first module, to our knowledge, that combines efficient single-module locomotion, enabling self-assembly, with the ability for modules to freely rotate within their lattice positions, aiding the self-reconfigurability of large structures. The extension framework is used to augment the capabilities of HyMod units. Extensions are modules that feature specialized functionality, and interface with HyMod units via passive HiGen connectors, allowing them to be un-powered until required for a task. Control of the system is achieved using a software architecture. Based on message routing, the architecture allows for the concurrent use of both centralized and distributed module control strategies. An analysis of the system is presented, and experiments conducted to demonstrate its capabilities. Future versions of the system created by this thesis could see uses in reconfigurable manufacturing, search and rescue, and space exploration

Systematic strategies for 3-dimensional modular robots

Modular robots have been studied an classified from different perspectives, generally focusing on the mechatronics. But the geometric attributes and constraints are the ones that determine the self-reconfiguration strategies. In two dimensions, robots can be geometrically classified by the grid in which their units are arranged and the free cells required to move a unit to an edge-adjacent or vertex-adjacent cell. Since a similar analysis does not exist in three dimensions, we present here a systematic study of the geometric aspects of three-dimensional modular robots. We find relations among the different designs but there are no general models, except from the pivoting cube one, that lead to deterministic reconfiguration plans. In general the motion capabilities of a single module are very limited and its motion constraints are not simple. A widely used method for reducing the complexity and improving the speed of reconfiguration plans is the use of meta-modules. We present a robust and compact meta-module of M-TRAN and other similar robots that is able to perform the expand/contract operations of the Telecube units, for which efficient reconfiguration is possible. Our meta-modules also perform the scrunch/relax and transfer operations of Telecube meta-modules required by the known reconfiguration algorithms. These reduction proofs make it possible to apply efficient geometric reconfiguration algorithms to this type of robots

Limpet II: A Modular, Untethered Soft Robot

The ability to navigate complex unstructured environments and carry out inspection tasks requires robots to be capable of climbing inclined surfaces and to be equipped with a sensor payload. These features are desirable for robots that are used to inspect and monitor offshore energy platforms. Existing climbing robots mostly use rigid actuators, and robots that use soft actuators are not fully untethered yet. Another major problem with current climbing robots is that they are not built in a modular fashion, which makes it harder to adapt the system to new tasks, to repair the system, and to replace and reconfigure modules. This work presents a 450 g and a 250 × 250 × 140 mm modular, untethered hybrid hard/soft robot—Limpet II. The Limpet II uses a hybrid electromagnetic module as its core module to allow adhesion and locomotion capabilities. The adhesion capability is based on negative pressure adhesion utilizing suction cups. The locomotion capability is based on slip-stick locomotion. The Limpet II also has a sensor payload with nine different sensing modalities, which can be used to inspect and monitor offshore structures and the conditions surrounding them. Since the Limpet II is designed as a modular system, the modules can be reconfigured to achieve multiple tasks. To demonstrate its potential for inspection of offshore platforms, we show that the Limpet II is capable of responding to different sensory inputs, repositioning itself within its environment, adhering to structures made of different materials, and climbing inclined surfaces

Theory of Self-maintaining Robots

This thesis proposes a theory for robotic systems that can be fully self-maintaining. The presented design principles focus on functional survival of the robots over long periods of time without human maintenance. Self-maintaining semi-autonomous mobile robots are in great demand in nuclear disposal sites from where their removal for maintenance is undesirable due to their radioactive contamination. Similar are requirements for robots in various defence tasks or space missions. For optimal design, modular solutions are balanced against capabilities to replace smaller components in a robot by itself or by help from another robot. Modules are proposed for the basic platform, which enable self-maintenance within a team of robots helping each other. The primary method of self-maintenance is replacement of malfunctioning modules or components by the robots themselves. Replacement necessitates a robot team’s ability to diagnose and replace malfunctioning modules as needed. Due to their design, these robots still remain manually re-configurable if opportunity arises for human intervention. A system reliability model is developed to describe the new theory. Depending on the system reliability model, the redundancy allocation problem is presented and solved by a multi objective algorithm. Finally, the thesis introduces the self-maintaining process and transfers it to a multi robot task allocation problem with a solution by genetic algorithm

Self-repair during continuous motion with modular robots

Through the use of multiple modules with the ability to reconfigure to form different morphologies, modular robots provide a potential method to develop more adaptable and resilient robots. Robots operating in challenging and hard-to-reach environments such as infrastructure inspection, post-disaster search-and-rescue under rubble and planetary surface exploration, could benefit from the capabilities modularity offers, especially the inherent fault tolerance which reconfigurability can provide. With self-reconfigurable modular robots self-repair, removing failed modules from a larger structure to replace them with operating modules, allows the functionality of the multi-robot organism as a whole to be recovered when modules are damaged. Previous self-repair work has, for the duration of self-repair procedures, paused group tasks in which the multi-robot organism was engaged, this thesis investigates Self-repair during continuous motion, ``Dynamic Self-repair", as a way to allow repair and group tasks to proceed concurrently. In this thesis a new modular robotic platform, Omni-Pi-tent, with capabilities for Dynamic Self-repair is developed. This platform provides a unique combination of genderless docking, omnidirectional locomotion, 3D reconfiguration possibilities and onboard sensing and autonomy. The platform is used in a series of simulated experiments to compare the performance of newly developed dynamic strategies for self-repair and self-assembly to adaptations of previous work, and in hardware demonstrations to explore their practical feasibility. Novel data structures for defining modular robotic structures, and the algorithms to process them for self-repair, are explained. It is concluded that self-repair during continuous motion can allow modular robots to complete tasks faster, and more effectively, than self-repair strategies which require collective tasks to be halted. The hardware and strategies developed in this thesis should provide valuable lessons for bringing modular robots closer to real-world applications