Micro Self-reconfigurable Modular Robot Using Shape Memory Alloy

Eiichi Yoshida; Satoshi Murata; Shigeru Kokaji; Kohji Tomita; Haruhisa Kurokawa

doi:10.20965/jrm.2001.p0212

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JRM Vol.13 No.2 pp. 212-219

doi: 10.20965/jrm.2001.p0212

(2001)

Paper:

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Micro Self-reconfigurable Modular Robot Using Shape Memory Alloy

Eiichi Yoshida, Satoshi Murata, Shigeru Kokaji, Kohji Tomita, and Haruhisa Kurokawa

Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, AIST, MITI, 1-2 Namiki, Tskuba-shi, Ibaraki, 305-83564 Japan

Received:

October 2, 2000

Accepted:

January 4, 2001

Published:

April 20, 2001

Keywords:

self-reconfiguration, modular robotic system, micro-robot, SMA actuator

Abstract

This paper presents a micro self-reconfigurable modular robotic system using shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators. Composed of identical robotic modules, the system can actively configure various structures. The motion of module is based on 2-dimensional rotation using an actuator mechanism with 2 SMA torsion coil springs. The micro-module measures 2cm cube and weighs 15g, half the size of the previous model. The feasibility of reconfiguration was demonstrated using micro-robotic modules. We also show an extended 3-dimensional (3D) model and discuss a distributed self-reconfiguration algorithm for large modular structures.

Cite this article as:

E. Yoshida, S. Murata, S. Kokaji, K. Tomita, and H. Kurokawa, “Micro Self-reconfigurable Modular Robot Using Shape Memory Alloy,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.13, No.2, pp. 212-219, 2001.

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