Modular robots have captured the interest of the robotics community over the past several years. In particular, many modular robotic systems are reconfigurable, robust against faults, and low-cost due to mass production of a small number of different homogeneous modules. Faults in these systems are normally tolerated through redundancy or corrected by discarding damaged modules, which reduces the operational capabilities of the robot. To overcome these difficulties, we previously developed and discussed the general design constraints of a heterogeneous modular robotic system (Hex-DMR II) capable of autonomous team repair and diagnosis. In this paper, we discuss the design of each module, in detail, and present a new, novel elevator module. Then, we introduce a forestlike structure that enumerates every non-isomorphic, functional agent configuration of our system. Finally, we present a case study contrasting the kinematics and power consumption of two particular configurations during a mapping task.
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October 2016
Research-Article
Module Design and Functionally Non-Isomorphic Configurations of the Hex-DMR II System
Joshua D. Davis,
Joshua D. Davis
Robot and Protein Kinematics Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: jdavi160@jhu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: jdavi160@jhu.edu
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Yunuscan Sevimli,
Yunuscan Sevimli
Robot and Protein Kinematics Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: yunus@jhu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: yunus@jhu.edu
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Baxter R. Eldridge,
Baxter R. Eldridge
Robot and Protein Kinematics Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: beldrid1@jhu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: beldrid1@jhu.edu
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Gregory S. Chirikjian
Gregory S. Chirikjian
Robot and Protein Kinematics Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: gregc@jhu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: gregc@jhu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Joshua D. Davis
Robot and Protein Kinematics Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: jdavi160@jhu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: jdavi160@jhu.edu
Yunuscan Sevimli
Robot and Protein Kinematics Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: yunus@jhu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: yunus@jhu.edu
Baxter R. Eldridge
Robot and Protein Kinematics Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: beldrid1@jhu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: beldrid1@jhu.edu
Gregory S. Chirikjian
Robot and Protein Kinematics Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: gregc@jhu.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, MD 21218
e-mail: gregc@jhu.edu
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received September 14, 2015; final manuscript received December 9, 2015; published online May 4, 2016. Assoc. Editor: Venkat Krovi.
J. Mechanisms Robotics. Oct 2016, 8(5): 051008 (11 pages)
Published Online: May 4, 2016
Article history
Received:
September 14, 2015
Revised:
December 9, 2015
Citation
Davis, J. D., Sevimli, Y., Eldridge, B. R., and Chirikjian, G. S. (May 4, 2016). "Module Design and Functionally Non-Isomorphic Configurations of the Hex-DMR II System." ASME. J. Mechanisms Robotics. October 2016; 8(5): 051008. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4032273
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