Self-Reconfiguration of Modular Robots Using Virtual Forces

Programmable matter is a material that can change its physical properties at will, whether it is its shape, density or conductivity. It can be implemented as an ensemble of micro-robots arranged in space to form a specific shape and having their own computing power. This technology behaves as a distributed system. Each micro-robot is called a module and the whole forms a modular robot. This paper tackles the self-reconfiguration problem by presenting a deterministic planning algorithm that can decide which positions can be filled over multiple iterations using virtual forces. The proposed algorithm implements the Hungarian method to optimize the planning by minimizing the total number of movements of the robots and preventing positions from being blocked. Each module embeds the same algorithm and coordinates with the others using neighbor-to-neighbor communications. Simulation results are conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.