Self-Reconfiguration Planning for Deformable Quadrilateral Modular Robots

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel self-reconfiguration planning algorithm for deformable quadrilateral modular robots that ensures stable connections, efficient reconfiguration sequences, and practical deployment feasibility.

Contribution

It presents a new planning algorithm using a virtual graph and Dependence-based Reverse Tree to guarantee stable connections and efficient reconfiguration sequences.

Findings

The algorithm guarantees stable connections during reconfiguration.

Reconfiguration sequences exist for any pair of configurations with seven or more modules.

Physical deployment confirms the approach's practical feasibility.

Abstract

For lattice modular self-reconfigurable robots (MSRRs), maintaining stable connections during reconfiguration is crucial for physical feasibility and deployability. This letter presents a novel self-reconfiguration planning algorithm for deformable quadrilateral MSRRs that guarantees stable connection. The method first constructs feasible connect/disconnect actions using a virtual graph representation, and then organizes these actions into a valid execution sequence through a Dependence-based Reverse Tree (DRTree) that resolves interdependencies. We also prove that reconfiguration sequences satisfying motion characteristics exist for any pair of configurations with seven or more modules (excluding linear topologies). Finally, comparisons with a modified BiRRT algorithm highlight the superior efficiency and stability of our approach, while deployment on a physical robotic platform confirms its practical feasibility.