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Formations for Fast Locomotion of Metamorphic Robotic Systems

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA, ad{at}cs.uwm.edu

Ichiro Suzuki

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA, suzuki{at}cs.uwm.edu

Masafumi Yamashita

Kyushu University Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan, mak{at}csce.kyushu-u.ac.jp

In this paper, we examine the problem of dynamic self-reconfiguration of a modular robotic system (frequently referred to as a self-reconfigurable or metamorphic system), to a formation aimed at reaching a specified target position as quickly as possible. We present a number of fast formations for both rectangular and hexagonal systems, and prove upper and lower bounds on the speed of locomotion. In particular, the formations presented here achieve a constant ratio guarantee on the time to reach a given target in the asymptotic sense.

Key Words: metamorphic systems • motion planning • reconfiguration • locomotion

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