Reconfigurable modular robot can change shape to achieve tasks

No matter how useful a general-purpose robot can be, they have inherent limitations. They can be cumbersome and can often only accomplish a single type of task. A team at Cornell University in New York state has led a project to develop a modular robot – composed of several interchangeable parts – that can perceive it surroundings and reconfigure itself to the best form to accomplish its task.

The team, from the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and led by principal investigator Hadas Kress-Gazit, describes its work in the current edition of the journal Science Robotics. “This is the first time modular robots have been demonstrated with autonomous reconfiguration and behavior that is perception-driven,” commented Kress-Gazit.

The system, called SMORES-EP (Self-Assembling MOdular Robot for Extreme Shapeshifting, and EP refers to the Electro-Permanent magnets the modules use to connect) is composed of wheeled, cube-shaped modules equipped with Wi-Fi to communicate with each other. They were developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Crucial to the system is one sensor module equipped with multiple cameras and a small computer for collecting and processing data about it surroundings. This module includes high-level planning software and perception algorithms that can map, navigate and classify the environment.