Reconnectable joints for self-reconfigurable robots

Abstract

Self-reconfigurable robots are modular robots that can dynamically and intelligently reconfigure their shape and size to accomplish difficult missions. To build such robots, however, a number of technical challenges must be overcome. One critical problem is the design and implementation of the reconnectable joints (also called connectors), which allows modules to autonomously connect and disconnect from one another. Such a mechanism must be power efficient, reliable, and compact (the mechanism must fit into a tight space). This paper gives an overview of the CONRO self-reconfigurable robots, and focuses on the reconnectable joints of the CONRO modules. The paper identifies a set of desired features and operation constraints for the joints, and describes our current design for the connectors.