Self-reconfiguring robots

At the Dartmouth Robotics Laboratory, we have a vision of the future: a modular robot that can assume a snake shape to traverse a tunnel, reconfigure upon exiting as a six-legged robot to traverse rough terrain, and change shape and gait to climb stairs and enter a building. The key to such versatility is self-reconfiguration-a new way of thinking about robots that offers a rich class of questions about robot design, control, and use. To help realize our vision, we designed the Molecule, a small and simple robotic module, capable of self-reconfiguration in three dimensions.