SCALA—A Scalable Rail-based Multirobot System for Large Space Automation: Design and Development

In this paper, a prototype of the SCAlable ModuLar (SCALA) multiagent robotic system is developed and implemented. This system for automation in large spaces relies on mobile agents that move on a planar and modular mesh of rails with embedded accurate positioning sensors. Groups of three mobile agents are joined together to drive a parallel manipulator, thus allowing fine manipulation tasks to be performed on a large workspace. The mechanical, mechatronics, and control solutions adopted on the prototype are reported and discussed, as well as its performance on the several tests performed.