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Hexagonal Metamorphic Robots
Jenny Walter
(professor from Vassar),
David Little (student from Vassar),
Mary Brooks (CRA-W DMP Program, summer 2003),
Beth Tsai (CRA-W DMP Program, summer 2001 and 2002),
and Nancy Amato
We are studying two-dimensional, hexagonal metamorphic robots. A metamorphic robotic system is a
collection of identical, independently controlled modules. The modules can connect, disconnect,
and move around adjacent modules.
The above image demonstrates how modules move around each other. The module labeled as S, the
substrate, cannot move while the other module is moving.
Metamorphic robots attract interest because they are robust, cost-efficient, and useful in
dangerous environments. Because the modules are all identical, if one breaks down, any
other module can take its place. Metamorphic robots are cost-efficient because they can
be mass-produced. The modules are independently controlled, so they can be used in environments
where humans cannot directly observe or control them, such as interplanetary space.
Currently, we are researching decentralized algorithms
to control the movement of the modules when irregular
obstacles are in the way.
Below is a java
applet of several animated examples of metamorphic robots at work.
Select one of the files from the drop down list of files. Then hit one
of the arrows to see the simulation either forwards or backwards.
It'll be necessary to wait a few seconds when loading files. Keep an eye
on the ticker at the bottom showing the number of steps,
since it will take some time for anything to start moving on the screen.
Previous work lead by Dr. Walter described algorithms to deterministically transform a chain
to a chain, a chain to an admissible blob, and a chain to an admissible blob with simple obstacles.
Papers
Distributed Reconfiguration of Metamorphic Robot Chains, Jennifer E. Walter, Jennifer L. Welch, Nancy M. Amato, Distributed Computing, 17(2):171 - 189, Aug 2004. Also, In Proc. of ACM SIGACT-SIGOPS
Symp. on Princ. of Dist. Comp. (PODC), pp. 171-180, Jul 2000.
Journal(abstract) Proceedings(ps, pdf)
Enveloping multi-pocket obstacles with Hexagonal Metamorphic Robots, Jennifer E. Walter, Mary E. Brooks, David F. Little, Nancy M. Amato, In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Robot.
Autom. (ICRA), pp. 2204-2209, New Orleans, LA, Apr 2004.
Proceedings(pdf)
Filling an Obstacle Pocket with Hexagonal Metamorphic Robots, Jennifer E. Walter, Mary E. Brooks, Nancy M. Amato, In Proc. Conf. on Intelligent Autonomous Systems, pp. 703-711, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Mar 2004.
Enveloping Obstacles with Hexagonal Metamorphic Robots, Jennifer E. Walter, Elizabeth M. Tsai, Nancy M. Amato, In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Robot.
Autom. (ICRA), pp. 741-748, Taipei, Taiwan, Sep 2003.
Proceedings(ps, pdf, abstract)
Algorithms for Filling Obstacle Pockets with Hexagonal Metamorphic Robots, Mary E. Brooks, Technical Report, TR03-002, Parasol Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Texas A&M University, Aug 2003.
Technical Report(ps, pdf)
Concurrent Metamorphosis of Hexagonal Robot Chains into Simple Connected Configurations, Jennifer E. Walter, Jennifer L. Welch, Nancy M. Amato, IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, 18(6):945-956, Nov 2002.
Journal(pdf, abstract)
Choosing Good Paths for Fast Distributed Reconfiguration of Hexagonal Metamorphic Robots, Jennifer E. Walter, Elizabeth M. Tsai, Nancy M. Amato, In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Robot.
Autom. (ICRA), pp. 102-109, Washington, D.C., May 2002.
Proceedings(ps, pdf, abstract)
Distributed Reconfiguration of Hexagonal Metamorphic Robots in Two Dimensions, Jennifer E. Walter, Jennifer L. Welch, Nancy M. Amato, In Proceedings of SPIE, pp. 441-453, Vol. 4196, 2000.
Proceedings(ps, pdf, abstract)
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