ABSTRACT

We discuss a robotic module called a Molecule. Molecules can be the basis for building self-reconfiguring robots. They support multiple modalities of locomotion and manipulation. We describe the design, functional­ ity, and control of the Molecule. We show how a set of Molecules can aggregate as active three-dimensional structures that can move and change shape. We show an efficient algorithm for planning the trajectory of Molecules for self-reconfiguration. Finally, we discuss our Molecule experiments.