Self-assembly of modular robotic systems enables
the construction of complex robotic configurations to adapt to
different tasks. This paper presents a framework for SMORES
types of modular robots to efficiently self-reconfigure into
tree topologies. These modular robots form kinematic chains
that have been shown to be capable of a large variety of
manipulation and locomotion tasks, yet they can reconfigure
using a mobile reconfiguration. A desired kinematic topology
can be mapped onto a planar pattern with optimal module
assignment based on the modules’ location, then the mobile
reconfiguration assembly process can be executed in parallel.
The framework is demonstrated on the SMORES-EP platform.
Parallel Self-Assembly with SMORES-EP, a Modular Robot
January 19th, 2021