Actively reconfigurable chassis enable planetary mobile robots to access more varieties of terrain. While typical approaches for exploiting such mechanisms reply on feedback control, it is beneficial to consider actively controlled elements at planning time rather than during motion execution. In this paper we present an approach for extending work in model-predictive trajectory generation to a...

The importance of mobile services in our everyday life is growing while at the same time new interoperability issues arise due to hardware and software heterogeneity. Therefore, new architectural paradigms and models are needed to enhance software engineering methodologies with regard to platform independence and interoperability. This paper describes an UML pattern based approach for developin...

Reconfigurable robots design based on polyominos or n-Omino is increasingly being explored in cleaning and maintenance (CnM) tasks due to their ability change shape using intra- inter-reconfiguration, resulting various footprints of the robot. On one hand, reconfiguration during a CnM task given environment map results enhanced area coverage over fixed-form robots. However, it also consumes mor...

Self-reconfigurable robots are versatile systems consisting of large numbers of independent modules. Effective use of these systems requires parallel actuation and planning, both for efficiency and independence from a central controller. This paper presents the PacMan algorithm, a technique for distributed actuation and planning. This algorithm works on systems with twoor three-dimensional unit...

In this paper, we present a method for high-level control of robots whose low-level software is based on dynamically reconfigurable, reusable real-time software modules. Our approach is to use an embedded interpreter for a general-purpose programming language to direct the operation of the low-level modules toward meeting the task-level goals of the robot. To this end, we present RSK, a virtual...

Purpose: Machining fixtures must fit exactly the work piece to support it appropriately. Even slight change in the design of the work piece renders the costly fixture useless. Substitution of traditional fixtures by a programmable multi-robot system supporting the work pieces requires a specific control system and a specific programming method enabling its quick reconfiguration. Design/methodol...

One of the most challenging issues for a selfsustaining robotic system is how to use its limited resources to accomplish a large variety of tasks. The scope of such tasks could include transportation, exploration, construction, inspection, maintenance, in-situ resource utilization, and support for astronauts. This paper proposes a modular and reconfigurable solution for this challenge by allowi...

This study presents the overall architecture of HeterBot, a heterogeneous mobile manipulation robot developed in our lab, which is designed for versatile operation hazardous environments. The most significant feature HeterBot design created by adopting idea ‘big arm + small arm’ and car mini car’. combination has advantage functional complementation, achieves performance promotion both locomoti...