Tan, Ning, Rojas, Nicolas, Mohan, Rajesh Elara, Kee, Vincent and Sosa, Ricardo (2015) Nested reconfigurable robots: theory, design, and realization. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 12 (7). ISSN 1729-8806

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Abstract

Rather than the conventional classification method, we propose to divide modular and reconfigurable robots into intra-, inter-, and nested reconfigurations. We suggest designing the robot with nested reconfigurability, which utilizes individual robots with intra-reconfigurability capable of combining with other homogeneous/heterogeneous robots (inter-reconfigurability). The objective of this approach is to generate more complex morphologies for performing specific tasks that are far from the capabilities of a single module or to respond to programmable assembly requirements. In this paper, we discuss the theory, concept, and initial mechanical design of Hinged-Tetro, a self-reconfigurable module conceived for the study of nested reconfiguration. Hinged-Tetro is a mobile robot that uses the principle of hinged dissection of polyominoes to transform itself into any of the seven one-sided tetrominoes in a straightforward way. The robot can also combine with other modules for shaping complex structures or giving rise to a robot with new capabilities. Finally, the validation experiments verify the nested reconfigurability of Hinged-Tetro. Extensive tests and analyses of intra-reconfiguration are provided in terms of energy and time consumptions. Experiments using two robots validate the inter-reconfigurability of the proposed module.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Engineering and Informatics > Engineering and Design
Depositing User:	Nicolas Rojas
Date Deposited:	07 Mar 2016 09:13
Last Modified:	25 Jul 2019 15:15
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/59865

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