6 accepted papers
Coordinated multi-agent robotic construction provides a means to build infrastructure in extreme environments and improve efficiency in high performance applications. Planning methods are key to understanding and achieving the scope of such applications, and are typically tailored to specific models
We present an algorithmic framework for a multi-robot modular assembly system. Motivated by the prospects of in-space assembly, we focus on the NASA Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems (AR-MADAS) framework, in which multiple types of robots work together in a team to b
In-space assembly is a key capability to enable construction of large-scale structures required for sustained human presence in space. Robotic assembly is critical to reduce required crew time and risk, while modularity ensures that solutions are versatile and adaptive to complex mission concepts. N
We consider recognition and reconfiguration of lattice-based cellular structures by very simple robots with only basic functionality. The underlying motivation is the construction and modification of space facilities of enormous dimensions, where the combination of new materials with extremely simpl…
We present a material–robot system consisting of mobile robots that can assemble discrete cellular structures. We detail the manufacturing of cuboctahedral unit cells, termed voxels, which passively connect to neighboring voxels with magnets. We then describe “relative” robots that can locomote on,
We propose a flexible, reconfigurable robot which achieves rectilinear locomotion by coupling structural deformation and directional friction promoting a locomotion strategy ideal for traversing narrow channels. The robot uses two linear actuators to generate structural waves, which propagate throug…