Morphology based Locomotion Controller for Modular Robots
This work investigates the emergence of coordinated locomotion in modular robots through indirect communication (stigmergy), similar to social insects. Forces between connected modules, resulting from internal interactions and interactions with the environment, are treated as analog communication.
Highlights Video
Overview
This force information is used for self-organization within the modular robotic organism. Experiments demonstrated a strong interdependence between the robot's morphology and the emergent global behavior.
Key Concepts
- Stigmergic communication through physical forces
- Self-organization in modular robotic systems
- Morphology-dependent emergent behavior
- Inspired by social insect coordination
Publications
A. Ranganath, J. Gonzalez-Gomez, and L. Moren, "Morphology Dependent Distributed Controller for Locomotion in Modular Robots", in Post-Graduate Conference on Robotics and Development of Cognition, Lausanne, Switzerland, Sep 2012.
Download PDFA. Ranganath, "Morphology based Locomotion Controller for Modular Robots", Masters thesis, Department of Systems Engineering and Automation, University Carlos III of Madrid, June 2013.
Download Thesis