Related papers: SMORES-EP, a Modular Robot with Parallel Self-asse…
This paper introduces a new type of soft continuum robot, called SCoReS, which is capable of self-controlling continuously its curvature at the segment level; in contrast to previous designs which either require external forces or machine…
Automating large-scale manufacturing in domains like timber construction requires multi-robot systems to manage tightly coupled spatiotemporal constraints, such as collision avoidance and process-driven deadlines. This paper introduces…
We introduce a novel framework for automatic behavior tree (BT) construction in heterogeneous multi-robot systems, designed to address the challenges of adaptability and robustness in dynamic environments. Traditional robots are limited by…
While the benefits of reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) are well-known, there are still challenges to their development, including, among others, a modular software architecture that enables rapid reconfiguration without much…
When modeling complex robot systems such as branched robots, whose kinematic structures are a tree, current techniques often require modeling the whole structure from scratch, even when partial models for the branches are available. This…
The pattern formation task is commonly seen in a multi-robot system. In this paper, we study the problem of forming complex shapes with functionally limited mobile robots, which have to rely on other robots to precisely locate themselves.…
While quadruped robots usually have good stability and load capacity, bipedal robots offer a higher level of flexibility / adaptability to different tasks and environments. A multi-modal legged robot can take the best of both worlds. In…
Evolutionary robotics has aimed to optimize robot control and morphology to produce better and more robust robots. Most previous research only addresses optimization of control, and does this only in simulation. We have developed a…
This study presents a system integration approach for planning schedules, sequences, tasks, and motions for reconfigurable robots to automatically disassemble constrained structures in a non-destructive manner. Such systems must adapt their…
In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a robust motion formation distributed control algorithm for a team of mobile robots. The primary task for the team is to form a geometric shape, which can be freely translated and…
A fundamental challenge in multi-robot motion planning is achieving sufficient coordination to avoid inter-robot conflicts without incurring the large computational expense of searching the joint configuration space of the robot group. In…
This paper proposes a distributed on-orbit spacecraft assembly algorithm, where future spacecraft can assemble modules with different functions on orbit to form a spacecraft structure with specific functions. This form of spacecraft…
Swarms of molecular robots are a promising approach to create specific shapes at the microscopic scale through self-assembly. However, controlling their behavior is a challenging problem as it involves complex non-linear dynamics and high…
Performing long-term experimentation or large-scale data collection for machine learning in the field of soft robotics is challenging, due to the hardware robustness and experimental flexibility required. In this work, we propose a modular…
Legged machines are becoming increasingly agile and adaptive but they have so far lacked the morphological diversity of legged animals, which have been rearranged and reshaped to fill millions of niches. Unlike their biological…
Coordination of movement and configuration in robotic swarms is a challenging endeavor. Deciding when and where each individual robot must move is a computationally complex problem. The challenge is further exacerbated by difficulties…
We present a Sequential Mobile Manipulation Planning (SMMP) framework that can solve long-horizon multi-step mobile manipulation tasks with coordinated whole-body motion, even when interacting with articulated objects. By abstracting…
Topology optimization of modular structures and mechanisms enables balancing the performance of automatically-generated individualized designs, as required by Industry 4.0, with enhanced sustainability by means of component reuse. For…
Modular robots have the potential to revolutionize automation, as one can optimize their composition for any given task. However, finding optimal compositions is non-trivial. In addition, different compositions require different base…
In this paper, we present a heterogeneous robot swarm system that can physically couple with each other to form functional structures and dynamically decouple to perform individual tasks. The connection between robots can be formed with a…