Morpho-Functional Machine: Robotics Approach of Amoeba Model based on Vibrating Potential Method

Soft-mechatronics is a new research area for a developmental robotics approach. This paper reports on the methodology and results of our approach to soft-mechatronics via the imitating of mollusc-like characteristics in through both hardware and software fusion technology. The proposed approach for softmechatronics here is developing a Morpho-Functional Machine by imitating amoeba motion and structure. This paper describes the Vibrating Potential Method to control the Morpho-Functional Machine, that consists of a new field technique called the Vibrating Potential Field plus a new parameter tuning method inspired from thermodynamics. The field model creates self-organising, gathering behaviour, through physical interaction with potential fields. The computer simulation shows typical characteristics of swarm intelligence, such as, energy gathering, thermotaxis, and obstacle avoidance. Three types of robots are built with these three characteristics. This paper shows the possibility of various behaviours produced by Morpho-Functional Machine.