A robotic module for stochastic fluidic assembly of 3D self-reconfiguring structures

Abstract

Stochastic self-reconfiguring robots are modular robots that possess the ability to autonomously change the arrangement of their modules and do so through the use of non-deterministic processes. We present a concept for a robotic system in which the stochastic behavior of turbulent flow in a chamber is used during assembly and disassembly operations. The thermorheological properties of Pluronic <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">®</sup> are used to implement flow routing for controlling the assembly process. This is the first use of thermorheological valving in three dimensions. A novel reversible module connection mechanism using a low melting point alloy which is soldered in a fluid environment is presented. Together with our approach to self-alignment, these are the innovations required to allow scalable self-directed assembly in three dimensions.