Ph.D. Thesis Proposal: Self-reconfigurable Robot Systems

Self-reconfigurable robots are robots composed of many physically connected modules which can change their structural configuration to support multiple functionalities. The modules may be complete robots in themselves capable of performing some tasks without cooperation, or they may be units which are functional only when some minimum number of modules are present. Modules create structures by attaching themselves to static objects or to each other. We claim that self-reconfigurable robots are more versatile, extensible, and reliable than conventional fixed-architecture robots. In this thesis proposal we describe two different self-reconfigurable robot systems. One system is based on the Inchworm robot, a small mobile robot which can perform independent navigation and manipulation tasks and can also cooperate to create structures with expanded functionality. The second system is based on our recently developed Molecule robot. Molecules are simple robots which cannot act as independent units but can cooperate to form three-dimensional structures which can move using selfreconfiguration. We discuss the scientific challenges of these systems, present a proposal for future thesis work, and describe the current status of our research.