The X-Face: An improved planar passive mechanical connector for modular self-reconfigurable robots

Abstract

There is a need in the field of modular robotics for a low-profile docking face with a wide range of performance. Mechanical self-aligning geometry features for docking faces of modular reconfigurable robot systems can be varied to improve the reliability of connection systems. This paper presents a new two-layer mating face design for robots that are constrained to move in a plane. It has a provably larger area of acceptance than any to date. We present an analysis of both position and orientation misalignments with simulated results over a two parameter design space comparing this connector with two other best-in-class shapes. The results show an average acceptance area increase approximately 88% over gendered mating faces and approximately 138% over non-gendered mating faces.