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Over the years, much research involving mobile computational entities has been performed. From modeling actual microscopic (and smaller) robots, to modeling software processes on a network, many important problems have been studied in this…
A key challenge towards the goal of multi-part assembly tasks is finding robust sensorimotor control methods in the presence of uncertainty. In contrast to previous works that rely on a priori knowledge on whether two parts match, we aim to…
Understanding collective properties of driven particle systems is significant for naturally occurring aggregates and because the knowledge gained can be used as building blocks for the design of artificial ones. We model self propelling…
This paper introduces a modified self-organized task allocation algorithm, where robots are assigned to pick up one of the two types of object. This paper also demonstrates both algorithms by showing the simulation results of the…
A number of coordinated behaviors have been proposed for achieving specific tasks for multi-robot systems. However, since most applications require more than one such behavior, one needs to be able to compose together sequences of behaviors…
We study centralized reconfiguration problems for geometric amoebot structures. A set of $n$ amoebots occupy nodes on the triangular grid and can reconfigure via expansion and contraction operations. We focus on the joint movement…
In this paper we describe a novel local algorithm for large statistical swarms using "harmonic attractor dynamics", by means of which a swarm can construct harmonics of the environment. This in turn allows the swarm to approximately…
There has been a wide interest in designing distributed algorithms for tiny robots. In particular, it has been shown that the robots can complete certain tasks even in the presence of faulty robots. In this paper, we focus on gathering of…
An architecture to enable some blocks consisting of several nodes in a public cluster connected to different grid collaborations is introduced. It is realized by inserting a web-service in addition to the standard Globus Toolkit. The new…
Most successes in autonomous robotic assembly have been restricted to single target or category. We propose to investigate general part assembly, the task of creating novel target assemblies with unseen part shapes. As a fundamental step to…
This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for modeling an on-orbit assembly mission scenario of a large flexible structure using a multi-arm robot. This methodology accounts for significant changes in inertia and flexibility…
We present a novel concept of a heterogeneous, distributed platform for autonomous 3D construction. The platform is composed of two types of robots acting in a coordinated and complementary fashion: (i) A collection of communicating smart…
In micro- and nano-scale systems, particles can be moved by using an external force like gravity or a magnetic field. In the presence of adhesive particles that can attach to each other, the challenge is to decide whether a shape is…
Compositional barrier functions are proposed in this paper to systematically compose multiple objectives for teams of mobile robots. The objectives are first encoded as barrier functions, and then composed using AND and OR logical…
We argue that hierarchical methods can become the key for modular robots achieving reconfigurability. We present a hierarchical approach for modular robots that allows a robot to simultaneously learn multiple tasks. Our evaluation results…
Topological Interlocking assemblies are arrangements of blocks kinematically constrained by a fixed frame, such that all rigid body motions of each block are constrained only by its permanent contact with other blocks and the frame. In the…
Environments with large terrain height variations present great challenges for legged robot locomotion. Drawing inspiration from fire ants' collective assembly behavior, we study strategies that can enable two ``connectable'' robots to…
Multi-robot teams have attracted attention from industry and academia for their ability to perform collaborative tasks in unstructured environments, such as wilderness rescue and collaborative transportation.In this paper, we propose a…
The problem of distributed formation control of nonholonomic mobile robots is addressed in this paper, in which the robots are designed to track a formation. Collision avoidance among agents is guaranteed using a control law based on a…
Manipulating the way in which colloidal particles self-organise is a central challenge in the design of functional soft materials. Meeting this challenge requires the use of building blocks that interact with one another in a highly…