This study investigated the emergence of reliable movement in aggregates of highly error-prone individuals. It introduces a new approach by connecting low-power robotic modules using an elastic mesh to form an intelligent robotic fabric. The research shows that elastic links can enable error-prone robotic modules to march in formation, surpassing rigidly linked or not-linked modules.
A novel distributed algorithm has been presented to enable these robotic modules to move reliably in the same direction. The concept and algorithms have been validated through formal analysis of the elastic couplings and experiments with aggregates comprising up to 49 physical modules. This is one of the biggest soft-bodied aggregates made of autonomous modules to date.
The findings of this study highlight the significance of mechanical couplings in achieving coherent motion among individuals with limited and error-prone abilities. This can lead to the development of low-power, stretchable robots for high-resolution monitoring and manipulation.
The study, titled "Coherent movement of error-prone individuals through mechanical coupling", has been published in Nature Communications and was led by Dr Roderich Gross at the University of Sheffield in collaboration with researchers from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Santa Catarina State University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The paper can be accessed via the following URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39660-6