Examining the Task Capabilities of Solid-State Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robots

Self-reconfiguring modular robots have the potential to be used to perform many tasks. While this is certainly also true of traditional wheeled or humanoid robots, modular robots have the unique ability to “self-reconfigure” to meet the needs of a given task. This task may not have been anticipated by the operator, and especially in far remote situations such as space or undersea, recalling the robot for a retrofit is usually not an option. Future modular robots will have the ability to change their physical form to create a tool or a part to make a repair that was never anticipated to happen. Our research centers on one variant of Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robots (SRMR), known as Homogenous Solid-State (HSS). Homegenous indicates that all modules are physically and functionally identical. Solid-state designates a robotic module with no moving parts, with movement and manipulation of the environment done through solid-state actuators, such as an electromagnet. This increases robustness and reliability but creates challenges not typically present in other types of robots. In this paper, we have simulated several versions of modular robots to assess their potential viability of creating objects, such as a bridge or an end effector, and performing tasks, such as lifting a load, for which the modules were not explicitly designed.