This press release is copyrighted by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE). Its use is granted only to journalists and news media. Embargo date: 26 January 2002, 5:00 p.m. ET.
Robots on the factory floor pretty much know what's coming. Constrained by geometry and programming, their world is just an assembly line. But for robots operating outdoors and far from civilization, mission and geography are unpredictable. Here, a new species that change their shape can be very powerful since they can adapt to drastically changing tasks and environments. Modular reconfigurable robots--experimental systems made by interconnecting multiple simple and similar units--can perform such shape shifting.
For example, a robot made up of a chain of simple, hinged joints could shape itself into a loop and move by rolling like a tank tread, then break open the loop to become snake-like and slither under or through obstacles, then rearrange its modules to morph into a multi-legged spider configuration that strides over rocks and bumpy terrain. Mark Yim, David Duff, and Ying Zhan, engineers at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in California, have developed one such robot, PolyBot, and they explain its workings in the February issue of IEEE Spectrum. PolyBot and other such modular robots would make ideal explorers, particularly in hostile and unpredictable environs like under the sea, at the scene of a natural disaster, or on other planets, write Yim and his colleagues.
These experimental creatures are built up from tens to hundreds of modules, which, like cells in the human body, are few in type. Because of this, modular robots promise versatility, reliability, and low cost. Versatility stems from their ability to approximate just about any shape and, potentially, to use tools designed for humans. Modular robots could be more reliable than other robots, because each module is much like any other--if one module isn't working, it can be shed and replaced with any other. Finally, modular robots might be economical, since they are made up of simple parts that can be mass-produced.
Contact: Samuel K. Moore, 212 419 7921, [email protected].For a faxed copy of the complete article ("Modular Robots" by Mark Yim, David Duff, and Ying Zhan, Xerox PARC, IEEE Spectrum, February 2002, pp. 30-34) or to arrange an interview, contact: Nancy T. Hantman, 212 419 7561, [email protected].
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