Showing papers on "Mobile robot published in 2011"
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TL;DR: This manuscript describes a unique class of locomotive robot, composed exclusively of soft materials (elastomeric polymers), which is inspired by animals that do not have hard internal skeletons, and illustrates an advantage of soft robotics.
Abstract: This manuscript describes a unique class of locomotive robot: A soft robot, composed exclusively of soft materials (elastomeric polymers), which is inspired by animals (e.g., squid, starfish, worms) that do not have hard internal skeletons. Soft lithography was used to fabricate a pneumatically actuated robot capable of sophisticated locomotion (e.g., fluid movement of limbs and multiple gaits). This robot is quadrupedal; it uses no sensors, only five actuators, and a simple pneumatic valving system that operates at low pressures (< 10 psi). A combination of crawling and undulation gaits allowed this robot to navigate a difficult obstacle. This demonstration illustrates an advantage of soft robotics: They are systems in which simple types of actuation produce complex motion.
1,716 citations
09 Jun 2011
TL;DR: This paper presents a formal approach to reciprocal n-body collision avoidance, where multiple mobile robots need to avoid collisions with each other while moving in a common workspace, and derives sufficient conditions for collision-free motion by reducing the problem to solving a low-dimensional linear program.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a formal approach to reciprocal n-body collision avoidance, where multiple mobile robots need to avoid collisions with each other while moving in a common workspace In our formulation, each robot acts fully independently, and does not communicate with other robots Based on the definition of velocity obstacles [5], we derive sufficient conditions for collision-free motion by reducing the problem to solving a low-dimensional linear program We test our approach on several dense and complex simulation scenarios involving thousands of robots and compute collision-free actions for all of them in only a few milliseconds To the best of our knowledge, this method is the first that can guarantee local collision-free motion for a large number of robots in a cluttered workspace
1,464 citations
TL;DR: This paper develops robot configurations that ensure static equilibrium of the payload at a desired pose while respecting constraints on the tension and provides analysis of payload stability for these configurations.
Abstract: In this paper we consider the problem of controlling multiple robots manipulating and transporting a payload in three dimensions via cables. We develop robot configurations that ensure static equilibrium of the payload at a desired pose while respecting constraints on the tension and provide analysis of payload stability for these configurations. We demonstrate our methods on a team of aerial robots via simulation and experimentation.
624 citations
01 Nov 2011
TL;DR: This work uses a state-of-the-art big and deep neural network combining convolution and max-pooling for supervised feature learning and classification of hand gestures given by humans to mobile robots using colored gloves.
Abstract: Automatic recognition of gestures using computer vision is important for many real-world applications such as sign language recognition and human-robot interaction (HRI). Our goal is a real-time hand gesture-based HRI interface for mobile robots. We use a state-of-the-art big and deep neural network (NN) combining convolution and max-pooling (MPCNN) for supervised feature learning and classification of hand gestures given by humans to mobile robots using colored gloves. The hand contour is retrieved by color segmentation, then smoothened by morphological image processing which eliminates noisy edges. Our big and deep MPCNN classifies 6 gesture classes with 96% accuracy, nearly three times better than the nearest competitor. Experiments with mobile robots using an ARM 11 533MHz processor achieve real-time gesture recognition performance.
555 citations
Patent•
06 May 2011TL;DR: In this paper, a volumetric point cloud imaging device is used to obtain a point cloud from a volume of space that includes a floor plane in a direction of movement of the mobile robot, and the controller receives point cloud signals from the imaging device and issues drive commands to the drive system based at least in part on the received point cloud signal.
Abstract: A mobile robot that includes a drive system, a controller in communication with the drive system, and a volumetric point cloud imaging device supported above the drive system at a height of greater than about one feet above the ground and directed to be capable of obtaining a point cloud from a volume of space that includes a floor plane in a direction of movement of the mobile robot. The controller receives point cloud signals from the imaging device and issues drive commands to the drive system based at least in part on the received point cloud signals.
447 citations
09 May 2011
TL;DR: This paper addresses multi-floor mapping with loop closure, localization, planning, and autonomous control, including adaptation to aerodynamic effects during traversal through spaces with low vertical clearance or strong external disturbances.
Abstract: In this paper, we consider the problem of autonomous navigation with a micro aerial vehicle (MAV) in indoor environments. In particular, we are interested in autonomous navigation in buildings with multiple floors. To ensure that the robot is fully autonomous, we require all computation to occur on the robot without need for external infrastructure, communication, or human interaction beyond high-level commands. Therefore, we pursue a system design and methodology that enables autonomous navigation with real-time performance on a mobile processor using only onboard sensors. Specifically, we address multi-floor mapping with loop closure, localization, planning, and autonomous control, including adaptation to aerodynamic effects during traversal through spaces with low vertical clearance or strong external disturbances. We present experimental results with ground truth comparisons and performance analysis.
406 citations
TL;DR: This work applies hybrid reciprocal velocity obstacles to iRobot Create mobile robots and demonstrates direct, collision-free, and oscillation-free navigation of multiple mobile robots or virtual agents.
Abstract: We present the hybrid reciprocal velocity obstacle for collision-free and oscillation-free navigation of multiple mobile robots or virtual agents. Each robot senses its surroundings and acts independently without central coordination or communication with other robots. Our approach uses both the current position and the velocity of other robots to compute their future trajectories in order to avoid collisions. Moreover, our approach is reciprocal and avoids oscillations by explicitly taking into account that the other robots sense their surroundings as well and change their trajectories accordingly. We apply hybrid reciprocal velocity obstacles to iRobot Create mobile robots and demonstrate direct, collision-free, and oscillation-free navigation.
366 citations
Patent•
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TL;DR: In this article, a robot system consisting of a mobile robot (100) having a controller (500) executing a control system (510) for controlling operation of the robot, a cloud computing service (1620) in communication with the controller of robot, and a remote computing device (310).
Abstract: A robot system (1600) includes a mobile robot (100) having a controller (500) executing a control system (510) for controlling operation of the robot, a cloud computing service (1620) in communication with the controller of the robot, and a remote computing device (310) in communication with the cloud computing service. The remote computing device communicates with the robot through the cloud computing service.
351 citations
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: A graph-theoretic definition of connectivity is provided, as well as an equivalent definition based on algebraic graph theory, which employs the adjacency and Laplacian matrices of the graph and their spectral properties.
Abstract: In this paper, we provide a theoretical framework for controlling graph connectivity in mobile robot networks. We discuss proximity-based communication models composed of disk-based or uniformly-fading-signal-strength communica- tion links. A graph-theoretic definition of connectivity is pro- vided, as well as an equivalent definition based on algebraic graph theory, which employs the adjacency and Laplacian matrices of the graph and their spectral properties. Based on these results, we discuss centralized and distributed algorithms to maintain, increase, and control connectivity in mobile robot networks. The various approaches discussed in this paper range from convex optimization and subgradient-descent algo- rithms, for the maximization of the algebraic connectivity of the network, to potential fields and hybrid systems that main- tain communication links or control the network topology in a least restrictive manner. Common to these approaches is the use of mobility to control the topology of the underlying com- munication network. We discuss applications of connectivity control to multirobot rendezvous, flocking and formation con- trol, where so far, network connectivity has been considered an assumption.
350 citations
12 Jul 2011
TL;DR: In this paper, a graph-theoretic definition of connectivity is provided, as well as an equivalent definition based on algebraic graph theory, which employs the adjacency and Laplacian matrices of the graph and their spectral properties.
Abstract: In this paper, we provide a theoretical framework for controlling graph connectivity in mobile robot networks. We discuss proximity-based communication models composed of disk-based or uniformly-fading-signal-strength communication links. A graph-theoretic definition of connectivity is provided, as well as an equivalent definition based on algebraic graph theory, which employs the adjacency and Laplacian matrices of the graph and their spectral properties. Based on these results, we discuss centralized and distributed algorithms to maintain, increase, and control connectivity in mobile robot networks. The various approaches discussed in this paper range from convex optimization and subgradient-descent algorithms, for the maximization of the algebraic connectivity of the network, to potential fields and hybrid systems that maintain communication links or control the network topology in a least restrictive manner. Common to these approaches is the use of mobility to control the topology of the underlying communication network. We discuss applications of connectivity control to multirobot rendezvous, flocking and formation control, where so far, network connectivity has been considered an assumption.
345 citations
06 Mar 2011
TL;DR: Support is found for the hypothesis that perceptions of robots are influenced by robots showing forethought, the task outcome (success or failure), and showing goal-oriented reactions to those task outcomes.
Abstract: The animation techniques of anticipation and reaction can help create robot behaviors that are human readable such that people can figure out what the robot is doing, reasonably predict what the robot will do next, and ultimately interact with the robot in an effective way. By showing forethought before action and expressing a reaction to the task outcome (success or failure), we prototyped a set of human-robot interaction behaviors. In a 2 (forethought vs. none: between) x 2 (reaction to outcome vs. none: between) x 2 (success vs. failure task outcome: within) experiment, we tested the influences of forethought and reaction upon people's perceptions of the robot and the robot's readability. In this online video prototype experiment (N=273), we have found support for the hypothesis that perceptions of robots are influenced by robots showing forethought, the task outcome (success or failure), and showing goal-oriented reactions to those task outcomes. Implications for theory and design are discussed.
TL;DR: This PEGA, consisting of two parallel EGAs along with a migration operator, takes advantages of maintaining better population diversity, inhibiting premature convergence, and keeping parallelism in comparison with conventional GAs, thus significantly expediting computation speed.
Abstract: This paper presents a parallel elite genetic algorithm (PEGA) and its application to global path planning for autonomous mobile robots navigating in structured environments. This PEGA, consisting of two parallel EGAs along with a migration operator, takes advantages of maintaining better population diversity, inhibiting premature convergence, and keeping parallelism in comparison with conventional GAs. This initial feasible path generated from the PEGA planner is then smoothed using the cubic B-spline technique, in order to construct a near-optimal collision-free continuous path. Both global path planner and smoother are implemented in one field-programmable gate array chip utilizing the system-on-a-programmable-chip technology and the pipelined hardware implementation scheme, thus significantly expediting computation speed. Simulations and experimental results are conducted to show the merit of the proposed PEGA path planner and smoother for global path planning of autonomous mobile robots.
09 May 2011
TL;DR: This work introduces the acceleration-velocity obstacle (AVO) to let a robot avoid collisions with moving obstacles while obeying acceleration constraints, and extends this concept to reciprocal collision avoidance for multi-robot settings, by letting each robot take half of the responsibility of avoiding pairwise collisions.
Abstract: We present an approach for collision avoidance for mobile robots that takes into account acceleration constraints. We discuss both the case of navigating a single robot among moving obstacles, and the case of multiple robots reciprocally avoiding collisions with each other while navigating a common workspace. Inspired by the concept of velocity obstacles [3], we introduce the acceleration-velocity obstacle (AVO) to let a robot avoid collisions with moving obstacles while obeying acceleration constraints. AVO characterizes the set of new velocities the robot can safely reach and adopt using proportional control of the acceleration. We extend this concept to reciprocal collision avoidance for multi-robot settings, by letting each robot take half of the responsibility of avoiding pairwise collisions. Our formulation guarantees collision-free navigation even as the robots act independently and simultaneously, without coordination. Our approach is designed for holonomic robots, but can also be applied to kinematically constrained non-holonomic robots such as cars. We have implemented our approach, and we show simulation results in challenging environments with large numbers of robots and obstacles.
12 Dec 2011
TL;DR: A recent public experiment that shows two robots making pancakes using web instructions and the potential of the underlying technologies as well as the research challenges raised by the experiment are discussed.
Abstract: In this paper we report on a recent public experiment that shows two robots making pancakes using web instructions. In the experiment, the robots retrieve instructions for making pancakes from the World Wide Web and generate robot action plans from the instructions. This task is jointly performed by two autonomous robots: The first robot opens and closes cupboards and drawers, takes a pancake mix from the refrigerator, and hands it to the robot B. The second robot cooks and flips the pancakes, and then delivers them back to the first robot. While the robot plans in the scenario are all percept-guided, they are also limited in different ways and rely on manually implemented sub-plans for parts of the task. We will thus discuss the potential of the underlying technologies as well as the research challenges raised by the experiment.
TL;DR: In this paper, the advantages of MEMS-based 3D LIDAR sensors over traditional approaches like vision or stereo vision in the domain of agricultural robotics are discussed and compared with typical 3D sensors used on mobile robots.
09 May 2011
TL;DR: The conception principles of the simulator, MORSE, are presented, which gives the possibility to evaluate the algorithms embedded in the software architecture of the robot within which they are to be integrated and some use-case illustrations.
Abstract: This paper presents MORSE, a new open-source robotics simulator. MORSE provides several features of interest to robotics projects: it relies on a component-based architecture to simulate sensors, actuators and robots; it is flexible, able to specify simulations at variable levels of abstraction according to the systems being tested; it is capable of representing a large variety of heterogeneous robots and full 3D environments (aerial, ground, maritime); and it is designed to allow simulations of multiple robots systems. MORSE uses a “Software-in-the-Loop” philosophy, i.e. it gives the possibility to evaluate the algorithms embedded in the software architecture of the robot within which they are to be integrated. Still, MORSE is independent of any robot architecture or communication framework (middleware). MORSE is built on top of Blender, using its powerful features and extending its functionality through Python scripts. Simulations are executed on Blender's Game Engine mode, which provides a realistic graphical display of the simulated environments and allows exploiting the reputed Bullet physics engine. This paper presents the conception principles of the simulator and some use-case illustrations.
TL;DR: The approach integrates both shape and appearance information into an articulated Iterative Closest Point approach to track the robot’s manipulator and the object and provides very good 3D models even when the object is highly symmetric and lacks visual features and the manipulator motion is noisy.
Abstract: Recognizing and manipulating objects is an important task for mobile robots performing useful services in everyday environments. While existing techniques for object recognition related to manipulation provide very good results even for noisy and incomplete data, they are typically trained using data generated in an offline process. As a result, they do not enable a robot to acquire new object models as it operates in an environment. In this paper we develop an approach to building 3D models of unknown objects based on a depth camera observing the robot's hand while moving an object. The approach integrates both shape and appearance information into an articulated Iterative Closest Point approach to track the robot's manipulator and the object. Objects are modeled by sets of surfels, which are small patches providing occlusion and appearance information. Experiments show that our approach provides very good 3D models even when the object is highly symmetric and lacks visual features and the manipulator motion is noisy. Autonomous object modeling represents a step toward improved semantic understanding, which will eventually enable robots to reason about their environments in terms of objects and their relations rather than through raw sensor data.
09 May 2011
TL;DR: This paper develops a system that enables a robot to grasp an object and to move it in front of its depth camera so as to build a 3D surface model of the object.
Abstract: Recognizing and manipulating objects is an important task for mobile robots performing useful services in everyday environments. In this paper, we develop a system that enables a robot to grasp an object and to move it in front of its depth camera so as to build a 3D surface model of the object. We derive an information gain based variant of the next best view algorithm in order to determine how the manipulator should move the object in front of the camera. By considering occlusions caused by the robot manipulator, our technique also determines when and how the robot should re-grasp the object in order to build a complete model.
01 Jul 2011
TL;DR: This paper identifies and discusses results showing technologies that mitigate the observed problems such as specialized interfaces, and adaptive systems, and innovative techniques and technologies designed to enhance operator performance and reduce potential performance degradations identified in the literature.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to review research pertaining to the limitations and advantages of supervisory control for unmanned systems. We identify and discuss results showing technologies that mitigate the observed problems such as specialized interfaces, and adaptive systems. In the report, we first present an overview of definitions and important terms of supervisory control and human-agent teaming. We then discuss human performance issues in supervisory control of multiple robots with regard to operator multitasking performance, trust in automation, situation awareness, and operator workload. In the following sections, we review research findings for specific areas of supervisory control of multiple ground robots, aerial robots, and heterogeneous robots (using different types of robots in the same mission). In the last section, we review innovative techniques and technologies designed to enhance operator performance and reduce potential performance degradations identified in the literature.
30 Aug 2011
TL;DR: A Haarlet-based hand gesture recognition system is implemented to detect hand gestures in any orientation, and more in particular pointing gestures while extracting the 3D pointing direction.
Abstract: This paper implements a real-time hand gesture recognition algorithm based on the inexpensive Kinect sensor. The use of a depth sensor allows for complex 3D gestures where the system is robust to disturbing objects or persons in the background. A Haarlet-based hand gesture recognition system is implemented to detect hand gestures in any orientation, and more in particular pointing gestures while extracting the 3D pointing direction. The system is integrated on an interactive robot (based on ROS), allowing for real-time hand gesture interaction with the robot. Pointing gestures are translated into goals for the robot, telling him where to go. A demo scenario is presented where the robot looks for persons to interact with, asks for directions, and then detects a 3D pointing direction. The robot then explores his vicinity in the given direction and looks for a new person to interact with.
TL;DR: The results show that the new approach has a high Hit rate and that the robot succeeded to reach its target in a collision free path in most cases which is the most desirable feature in any navigation algorithm.
Abstract: In this paper, a new approach is developed for solving the problem of mobile robot path planning in an unknown dynamic environment based on Q-learning. Q-learning algorithms have been used widely for solving real world problems, especially in robotics since it has been proved to give reliable and efficient solutions due to its simple and well developed theory. However, most of the researchers who tried to use Q-learning for solving the mobile robot navigation problem dealt with static environments; they avoided using it for dynamic environments because it is a more complex problem that has infinite number of states. This great number of states makes the training for the intelligent agent very difficult. In this paper, the Q-learning algorithm was applied for solving the mobile robot navigation in dynamic environment problem by limiting the number of states based on a new definition for the states space. This has the effect of reducing the size of the Q-table and hence, increasing the speed of the navigation algorithm. The conducted experimental simulation scenarios indicate the strength of the new proposed approach for mobile robot navigation in dynamic environment. The results show that the new approach has a high Hit rate and that the robot succeeded to reach its target in a collision free path in most cases which is the most desirable feature in any navigation algorithm.
TL;DR: Experimental results indicate that the proposed PF-based OSL algorithm performs better than the Bayesian-inference-based method, and is proposed to be the next generation of OSL algorithms.
Abstract: This paper discusses odor source localization (OSL) using a mobile robot in an outdoor time-variant airflow environment. A novel OSL algorithm based on particle filters (PF) is proposed. When the odor plume clue is found, the robot performs an exploratory behavior, such as a plume-tracing strategy, to collect more information about the previously unknown odor source. In parallel, the information collected by the robot is exploited by the PF-based OSL algorithm to estimate the location of the odor source in real time. The process of the OSL is terminated if the estimated source locations converge within a given small area. The Bayesian-inference-based method is also performed for comparison. Experimental results indicate that the proposed PF-based OSL algorithm performs better than the Bayesian-inference-based OSL method.
Book•
19 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a fault detection and isolation method for industrial robots in contact-free operation and a fault diagnosis method for multi-robot target tracking using machine vision.
Abstract: Industrial robots in contact-free operation.- Industrial robots in compliance tasks.- Mobile robots and autonomous vehicles.- Adaptive control methods for industrial systems .-Robust control methods for industrial systems.- Filtering and estimation methods for industrial systems.- Sensor fusion-based control for industrial systems.- Fault detection and isolation for industrial systems.- Application of fault diagnosis to industrial systems.- Optimization methods for motion planning of multi-robot systems.- Optimization methods for target tracking by multi-robot systems.- Optimization methods for industrial automation.- Machine learning methods for industrial systems control.- Machine learning methods for industrial systems fault diagnosis.- Applications of machine vision to industrial systems.
TL;DR: A novel algorithm is proposed that improves the localization by fusing an RFID system with an ultrasonic sensor system to estimate the position of the mobile robot using both GPE and LEC.
Abstract: This paper addresses a radio-frequency identification (RFID)-based mobile robot localization which adopts RFID tags distributed in a space. Existing stand-alone RFID systems for mobile robot localization are hampered by many uncertainties. Therefore, we propose a novel algorithm that improves the localization by fusing an RFID system with an ultrasonic sensor system. The proposed system partially removes the uncertainties of RFID systems by using distance data obtained from ultrasonic sensors. We define a global position estimation (GPE) process using an RFID system and a local environment cognition (LEC) process using ultrasonic sensors. Then, a hierarchical localization algorithm is proposed to estimate the position of the mobile robot using both GPE and LEC. Finally, the utility of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through experiments.
Book•
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications, ICIRA 2009, held in Singapore, in December 2009, and contains 128 revised full papers presented.
Abstract: This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications, ICIRA 2009, held in Singapore, in December 2009. The 128 revised full papers presented were thoroughly reviewed and selected from 173 submissions. They are organized in topical sections on ubiquitous and cooperative robots in smart space; advanced control on autonomous vehicles; intelligent vehicles: perception for safe navigation; novel techniques for collaborative driver support; robot and automation in tunneling; robot mechanism and design; robot motion analysis; robot motion control; visual perception by robots; computational intelligence by robots; robot and application; and robot and investigation.
09 May 2011
TL;DR: A dense stereo V-SLAM algorithm that estimates a dense 3D map representation which is more accurate than raw stereo measurements which is shown in a Monte Carlo simulation.
Abstract: Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) and Visual SLAM (V-SLAM) in particular have been an active area of research lately. In V-SLAM the main focus is most often laid on the localization part of the problem allowing for a drift free motion estimate. To this end, a sparse set of landmarks is tracked and their position is estimated. However, this set of landmarks (rendering the map) is often too sparse for tasks in autonomous driving such as navigation, path planning, obstacle avoidance etc. Some methods keep the raw measurements for past robot poses to address the sparsity problem often resulting in a pose only SLAM akin to laser scanner SLAM. For the stereo case, this is however impractical due to the high noise of stereo reconstructed point clouds. In this paper we propose a dense stereo V-SLAM algorithm that estimates a dense 3D map representation which is more accurate than raw stereo measurements. Thereto, we run a sparse V-SLAM system, take the resulting pose estimates to compute a locally dense representation from dense stereo correspondences. This dense representation is expressed in local coordinate systems which are tracked as part of the SLAM estimate. This allows the dense part to be continuously updated. Our system is driven by visual odometry priors to achieve high robustness when tracking landmarks. Moreover, the sparse part of the SLAM system uses recently published sub mapping techniques to achieve constant runtime complexity most of the time. The improved accuracy over raw stereo measurements is shown in a Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of our method by presenting outdoor experiments of a car like robot.
TL;DR: A new algorithm, Dynamic AO* (DAO*), is developed for navigation tasks of mobile robots that not only performs a good anytime behavior and offers a fast replanning framework, but also considers the motion uncertainty.
Abstract: In the real world, mobile robots often operate in dynamic and uncertain environments. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a motion planner capable of real-time planning that also addresses uncertainty concerns. In this paper, a new algorithm, Dynamic AO* (DAO*), is developed for navigation tasks of mobile robots. DAO* not only performs a good anytime behavior and offers a fast replanning framework, but also considers the motion uncertainty. Moreover, by incorporating DAO* with D* Lite, a new planning architecture, DDAO*, is represented to efficiently search in large state spaces. Finally, simulations and experiments are shown to verify the efficiency of the proposed algorithms.
09 May 2011
TL;DR: This work employs laser-engraved origami patterns to build a new class of robotic systems for mobility and manipulation, and demonstrates the end-to-end fabrication and assembly of a simple mobile robot that can undergo worm-like peristaltic locomotion.
Abstract: This work presents a technique which allows the application of 2-D fabrication methods to build 3-D robotic systems. The ability to print robots introduces a fast and low-cost fabrication method to modern, real-world robotic applications. To this end, we employ laser-engraved origami patterns to build a new class of robotic systems for mobility and manipulation. Origami is suitable for printable robotics as it uses only a flat sheet as the base structure for building complicated functional shapes, which can be utilized as robot bodies. An arbitrarily complex folding pattern can be used to yield an array of functionalities, in the form of actuated hinges or active spring elements. For actuation, we use compact NiTi coil actuators placed on the body to move parts of the structure on-demand. We demonstrate, as a proof-of-concept case study, the end-to-end fabrication and assembly of a simple mobile robot that can undergo worm-like peristaltic locomotion.
TL;DR: In this paper, the design and structure of a self-assembly modular robot (Sambot) are presented, where each module has its own autonomous mobility and can connect with other modules to form robotic structures with different manipulation abilities.
Abstract: The design and structure of a self-assembly modular robot (Sambot) are presented in this paper. Each module has its own autonomous mobility and can connect with other modules to form robotic structures with different manipulation abilities. Sambot has a versatile, robust, and flexible structure. The computing platform provided for each module is distributed and consists of a number of interlinked microcontrollers. The interaction and connectivity between different modules is achieved through infrared sensors and Zigbee wireless communication in discrete state and control area network bus communication in robotic configuration state. A new mechanical design is put forth to realize the autonomous motion and docking of Sambots. It is a challenge to integrate actuators, sensors, microprocessors, power units, and communication elements into a highly compact and flexible module with the overall size of 80 mm × 80 mm × 102 mm. The work describes represents a mature development in the area of self-assembly distributed robotics.