1/7 Excited to share my last publication at @SciRobotics using soft matter physics principles to combine soft, modular, and swarm robotics. We address the challenge of designing robotic systems capable of changing their shape and flexibility to adapt to various environments.
1/7 Excited to share my last publication at @SciRobotics using soft matter physics principles to combine soft, modular, and swarm robotics. We address the challenge of designing robotic systems capable of changing their shape and flexibility to adapt to various environments.
2/7 We address the challenge of designing robotic systems capable of changing their shape and flexibility to adapt to various environments. We introduce Granulobots, a self-reconfigurable robotic system inspired by the highly adaptive properties of granular matter.
3/7 This design demonstrates a form of control computing based on mechanical feedback rather than sophisticated electronics and sensors, advancing the development of resilient robotic systems with the ability to morph and adapt to various functions and conditions.
4/7 Picture it as a collection of grains that connect to form aggregates, similar to a wet sandpile, but now with motorized grains. Granulobots can autonomously unite, separate, and create diverse structures by applying torque to their neighbors.
5/7 The design of a Granulobot allows aggregates to self-organize and deform like a material liquid or solid, soft or rigid. Depending on local control parameters, set in all robots, aggregates can self-coordinate locomotion gaits, without relying on a central computer.
6/7 Instead, they achieve this solely through mechanical interactions, whereas their tunable material-like properties allow them to adapt to different environmental conditions.
7/7 Aggregates can “flow” over obstacles, and self-coordinate to slide on slippery surfaces, or crawl and roll on anti-slip grounds, without wireless communication between robots.