Design of a Self-Assembly System of Three-dimensional Structures using Autonomous Construction Blocks

Abstract

This paper proposes an architecture approach for automated self-assembly of 3D structures by a team of actuated parts. In our approach, we consider that all parts are able to move by themselves and connect to each other during the execution of the assembly task. In order to deal with this problem, we present a high level framework and concept for coordinating the mobile agents. It enables the autonomous assembly of structures into arbitrary shapes. Furthermore, we also discuss the impact of the use of multiple agents in the planning of the construction task, control, and sensing of the robots. To validate the proposed architecture, we present the results from simulations using autonomous quadrotors as the building parts, assembled in bricklike patterns.