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In the modular robot reconfiguration problem, we are given $n$ cube-shaped modules (or robots) as well as two configurations, i.e., placements of the $n$ modules so that their union is face-connected. The goal is to find a sequence of moves…
A configuration of $n$ unit-cube-shaped \textit{modules} (or \textit{robots}) is a lattice-aligned placement of the $n$ modules so that their union is face-connected. The reconfiguration problem aims at finding a sequence of moves that…
The sliding cubes model is a well-established theoretical framework that supports the analysis of reconfiguration algorithms for modular robots consisting of face-connected cubes. The best algorithm currently known for the reconfiguration…
We consider algorithmic problems motivated by modular robotic reconfiguration in the sliding square model, in which we are given $n$ square-shaped modules in a (labeled or unlabeled) start configuration and need to find a schedule of…
In the field of swarm robotics, one of the most studied problem is Gathering. It asks for a distributed algorithm that brings the robots to a common location, not known in advance. We consider the case of robots constrained to move along…
We consider a swarm of $n$ robots in \mathbb{R}^d. The robots are oblivious, disoriented (no common coordinate system/compass), and have limited visibility (observe other robots up to a constant distance). The basic formation task gathering…
The sliding square model is a widely used abstraction for studying self-reconfigurable robotic systems, where modules are square-shaped robots that move by sliding or rotating over one another. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed…
We give both efficient algorithms and hardness results for reconfiguring between two connected configurations of modules in the hexagonal grid. The reconfiguration moves that we consider are "pivots", where a hexagonal module rotates around…
We consider the following variant of the two dimensional gathering problem for swarms of robots: Given a swarm of $n$ indistinguishable, point shaped robots on a two dimensional grid. Initially, the robots form a closed chain on the grid…
Grasping target objects is a fundamental skill for robotic manipulation, but in cluttered environments with stacked or occluded objects, a single-step grasp is often insufficient. To address this, previous work has introduced pushing as an…
We consider generalizations of the familiar fifteen-piece sliding puzzle on the 4 by 4 square grid. On larger grids with more pieces and more holes, asymptotically how fast can we move the puzzle into the solved state? We also give a…
The Gathering problem for a swarm of robots asks for a distributed algorithm that brings such entities to a common place, not known in advance. We consider the well-known OBLOT model with robots constrained to move along the edges of a…
We develop data structures for dynamic closest pair problems with arbitrary distance functions, that do not necessarily come from any geometric structure on the objects. Based on a technique previously used by the author for Euclidean…
We present the first universal reconfiguration algorithm for transforming a modular robot between any two facet-connected square-grid configurations using pivot moves. More precisely, we show that five extra "helper" modules ("musketeers")…
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…
Motion planning in modified environments is a challenging task, as it compounds the innate difficulty of the motion planning problem with a changing environment. This renders some algorithmic methods such as probabilistic roadmaps less…
We consider methods for connected reconfigurations by finite automate in the so-called \emph{hybrid} or \emph{Robot-on-Tiles} model of programmable matter, in which a number of simple robots move on and rearrange an arrangement of passive…
Multi-robot collaboration is becoming increasingly critical and presents significant challenges in modern robotics, especially for building a globally consistent, accurate map. Traditional multi-robot pose graph optimization (PGO) methods…
In this paper, we study the $r$-gather problem, a natural formulation of minimum-size clustering in metric spaces. The goal of $r$-gather is to partition $n$ points into clusters such that each cluster has size at least $r$, and the maximum…
Consider a system of autonomous mobile robots initially randomly deployed on the nodes of an anonymous finite grid. A gathering algorithm is a sequence of moves to be executed independently by each robot so that all robots meet at a single…