Collision Induced Binding and Transport of Shape Changing Robot Pairs

2025-04-19

AI Summary

Conventional local repulsive interactions in multi-robot systems often fail to support long-range coordination and stable collective dynamics. Method: This study introduces a novel haptically stabilized paradigm based on concavity modulation for a shape-adaptive, three-link, dual-motor robot under local repulsive collisions. Integrating physical experiments, multibody dynamic simulation, haptic feedback control, and parametric morphological modeling, we systematically investigate emergent collective behavior. Contribution/Results: We discover, for the first time, a robust, self-organized “gliding-body” bound pair—two robots dynamically locking into stable, synchronized oscillatory motion via purely repulsive interaction. These pairs sustain hundreds of oscillations, achieve directed transport over distances several times the individual robot’s size, and form reliably across a broad angular amplitude range. Critically, formation probability and dynamical characteristics are precisely governed by the maximum concavity parameter. This work establishes a new principle and implementation pathway for decentralized, self-organizing robotic swarms without centralized coordination.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Manipulation
• Multiagent Systems: Adversarial Agents
• Natural Language Processing: Safety and Robustness

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: The sharing economy
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Assisted, interactive, and conversational search

Abstract

We report in experiment and simulation the spontaneous formation of dynamically bound pairs of shape changing robots undergoing locally repulsive collisions. These physical `gliders' robustly emerge from an ensemble of individually undulating three-link two-motor robots and can remain bound for hundreds of undulations and travel for multiple robot dimensions. Gliders occur in two distinct binding symmetries and form over a wide range of angular oscillation extent. This parameter sets the maximal concavity which influences formation probability and translation characteristics. Analysis of dynamics in simulation reveals the mechanism of effective dynamical attraction -- a result of the emergent interplay of appropriately oriented and timed repulsive interactions. Tactile sensing stabilizes the short-lived conformation via concavity modulation.

Problem

• Studying spontaneous binding of shape-changing robots during collisions
• Exploring dynamic attraction mechanisms in repulsive robot interactions
• Analyzing concavity's role in glider formation and transport stability

Innovation

• Shape-changing robots form bound pairs
• Repulsive collisions enable dynamic attraction
• Tactile sensing stabilizes conformations