self-assembling mobile robots

Each robot has 3 IR beacons, 3 sets of switchable magnets, 2 IR detectors, 2 driven wheels, and 1 bumper switch. The IR beacons attract mobile robots to each other and the magnets cause them to stick. The magnets and beacons can be controlled so that a side of the robot is "sticky" or "not sticky". Robots can sense their neighbors and change the stickiness of their sides in an attempt to self-assemble into different geometries.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• robots
• self-assembly
• modular reconfigurable robot