2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Study on Morpho-genesis and Morpho-reconfiguration of a Cluster Mechanical System Composed of Autonomous Mobile Robot Modules
| Project/Area Number |
15360140
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Intelligent mechanics/Mechanical systems
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| Research Institution | Tokyo University of Science |
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Principal Investigator |
HARA Fumio Tokyo University of Science, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Professor, 工学部, 教授 (90084376)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2005
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| Keywords | Cluster Morpho-functional Mechanical System / Module Composition / Emergence of Functionality / Morphology Self-organization / Linear Cluster Mechanical System / Autonomous Mobile Module / Experiment of Morpho-genesis / Morpho-reconfiguration |
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| Research Abstract |
This study has investigated the dynamic emergence mechanisms of linear cluster morpho-genesis and morpho-reconfiguration of autonomous mobile robotic modules, each of which is equipped with touch-sensor, simple light communication device and force sensor, moves straight-forward and/or rotates in opposite direction and connects by ratch-arms when colliding each other. And also we have investigated the straight-forward and circular locomotion characteristics of a linear cluster mechanical system self-organized through the dynamic process of linear cluster morpho-genesis emerged under the mechanical interaction between the modules. The investigation has been performed by computer simulation using DADS with some custom-made subroutines for representing mechanical collision of hardware modules and also by experiments using 20 hardware robotic modules.
(1)Under the sensor-motor coordination that a robot module takes rotation in mutually opposite direction at collision to another module and co
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nnects with each other by a connecting ratch-arm, the robotic modules can connect each other by step by step in random way and the average size of the linear cluster mechanical system can reach 6 to 7 of modules. The most important parameters are found to be number of interacting modules and their moving speed.
(2)The linear cluster mechanical system can move straight forward or in a circular manner by changing the moving speed of the front-head module with respect to the follower-ones, i.e., when it exceeds the follower's, the system moves almost straight forward or a circular in a bow shape ; when other case, it rotates in a circular form.
(3)The morpho-reconfiguration is found to be undertaken by the same morpho-genesis mechanism as to that of self-reconfiguration that can replace a sub-cluster containing a mal-functioned module from the whole cluster body.
The followings are some of the future research items :
(1)Influence and effect of morphology of individual autonomous mobile robot module (3-arms or 4-arms) and of its sensor-motor coordination on the morphological characteristics of the self-organized cluster mechanical systems, and
(2)Sensor-motor coordination that will make it possible to self-generate the proper morphology of a cluster mechanical system suitable to the given task and environment. Less
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Research Products
(8 results)
