Scalable Plug-and-Play Robotic Fabrics Based on Kilobot Modules

This letter presents a framework for producing robotic fabrics using square lattice formations of interlinked Kilobot modules. The framework supports: (i) fabrics of arbitrary size and shape; (ii) different types of deformable links, namely springs and rods; (iii) easy plug-and-play reconfigurability. Two decentralized straight motion controllers are tested with robotic fabrics comprising up to 81 physical modules: an open-loop controller and a controller from the literature that responds to deformations within the fabric. For spring-based robotic fabrics, the deformation-correcting controller performs best overall, whereas for rod-based robotic fabrics, it is outperformed by the open-loop controller. A decentralized turning motion controller is formally derived and examined for either type of fabric, revealing the ability of the robotic fabrics to move along a curved trajectory using open-loop control. Finally, robotic fabrics are shown to perform basic object manipulation tasks. Robotic fabrics that deploy themselves based on distributed, embodied intelligence could pave the way for novel applications, from patching broken pipes to medical uses within the human body.