By combining sensor, logic and actuator blocks, young kids can create simple reconfigurable robots that exhibit surprisingly complex behavior.

Cubelets are magnetic blocks that can be snapped together to make an endless variety of robots with no programming and no wires. You can build robots that drive around on a tabletop, respond to light, sound, and temperature, and have surprisingly lifelike behavior. But instead of programming that behavior, you snap the cubelets together and watch the behavior emerge like with a flock of birds or a swarm of bees.

Each cubelet in the kit has different equipment on board and a different default behavior. There are Sense Blocks that act like our eyes and ears, Action blocks, and Think blocks. Just like with people, the senses are the inputs to the system

Video: http://youtu.be/gevV-2JIdnM

Introducing “Cubelets” by Modular Robotics: No Wires, No Code, Real Robots

There are many cool tech toys on the market… But Cubelets make building robots quick and fun.  Cubelets are a new robot construction kit from Modular Robotics.  Snap these small magnetic blocks together, and without further ado your robot starts to sense, plan, and act.  Your robot’s behavior depends entirely on how you’ve assembled the Cubelets; behaviors emerge from the local interactions betweenSense, Think, and Action Blocks — no single “brain” block and no single “program” controls the robot.

Cubelets were developed by Eric Schweikardt at Carnegie Mellon University, one of the leading centers for robotics research.  Modular Robotics, a spinoff company to commercialize Cubelets, was funded by a small business grant from the National Science Foundation.  Several years in the making, Cubelets are assembled in Boulder, Colorado from parts made all over the world.

The key idea is deceptively simple: each Cubelet does only one thing, but neighboring Cubelets communicate to produce an ensemble with complex behavior.  Sense Cubelets turn signals from the real world (like light, temperature, and proximity) into a number; Action Cubelets turn numbers back into real world signals (like light, motion, and sound); and Think Cubelets (like minimum and maximum) operate on the numbers that flow through a Cubelets-based robot.  Inspired by Braitenberg’s Vehicles (the classic “Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology”), Cubelets aim to get people thinking about how complex systems emerge from local interactions.

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Molecubes – an attractive programmable robotics system

Molecubes could play a significant role in technical training in the near future. These cubes, fitted with computer chips, can be successively attached to each other. Each Molecube communicates with all the other cubes; the energy supply and transmission of signals from one Molecube to the next are thereby ensured. Young people can use the Molecubes to build and program their own robots.

Video: http://youtu.be/wUJkX8fn1jY

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http://youtu.be/lZFHcpqAyw4

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More making details in http://slidesha.re/JjUikH

http://youtu.be/SzXFGeB6Hxs

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Swarms of robots that use electromagnetic forces to cling together and assume different shapes are being developed by US researchers.  The grand goal is to create swarms of microscopic robots capable of morphing into virtually any form by clinging together.

Seth Goldstein, who leads the research project at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, in the US, admits this is still a distant prospect. However, his team is using simulations to develop control strategies for futuristic shape-shifting, or “claytronic”, robots, which they are testing on small groups of more primitive, pocket-sized machines. These prototype robots use electromagnetic forces to manoeuvre themselves, communicate, and even share power.

No Moving Parts

One set of claytronic prototypes were cylindrical, wheeled robots with a ring of electromagnets around their edge, which they used to grab hold of one another. By switching these electromagnets on and off, the so-called “claytronic atoms” or “catoms” could securely attach and roll around each other .

The robot’s wheels were not powered, so they had to rely entirely on their magnets to manoeuvre themselves around. “These were the first mobile robots without any moving parts,” says Goldstein. They also used their electromagnets to share power, to communicate, and for simple sensing. Since using magnetic forces are less efficient at smaller scales, the team has now begun experimenting with electric forces instead.

The latest prototypes are box-shaped robots dubbed “cubes” that have six plastic arms with star-shaped appendages at the end of each.

These stars have several flat aluminium electrodes and dock together, face on, using static electricity. Electrodes on different stars are given opposing charges, which causes the stars to attract each other. Once connected, no power is needed to hold the stars together.

Micro-Scale Robots

Tests have shown that it is possible to send messages and power to other cubes over the same links. “Our hope is to assemble around 100 cubes to experiment with ideas,” Goldstein says.

Rob Reid at the US Air Force Research Lab is collaborating with the Carnegie Mellon team to develop even smaller prototype robots. Reid and colleagues can fold flat silicon shapes into 3D forms as little as a few hundred microns diameter. “We will drive those using electric forces too, by patterning circuits and devices into the silicon design,” Goldstein says. He predicts that by the summer of 2008 they will have prototypes capable of rolling themselves around this way. Modularity is a popular theme with robotics researchers around the world.

Complex Connections

“The physical mechanism for docking different pieces is really tough to do,” says Alan Winfield, who works on artificially intelligent swarms at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory in the UK. “Most use mechanical latches with hooks.” Although these physical connections are complex, they do not need power, Winfield points out, unlike magnetic connections.

Using electromagnetic forces may make more sense at smaller sizes, he adds. “My guess is that electrostatic connectors will come into their own on the micro scale where less power is needed to have a large effect,” he says. But software, not hardware, may be the biggest challenge facing researchers working on swarms of robots, he says: “Right now we just don’t know how to design a system that produces complex overall behaviours from a group of simple agents.”

Ultimately, Goldstein believes his claytronic robots may one day achieve this, and much more: “I’ll be done when we produce something that can pass aTuring test for appearance,” he says. “You won’t know if you’re shaking hands with me or a claytronics copy of me.”

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The Mobot educational robot broadens student participation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Mobot teamwork will engage students on collaborative learning who might otherwise be inclined not to participate in classroom activities.

The Mobot is designed for K-12 students to safely learn to program robotics while learning STEM subjects seamlessly integrated. Coordinating multiple modules requires teamwork to design a well-organized visual demonstration as well as math and programming skills to produce the desired robot motions. The Mobot is rugged enough to use in a busy classroom and has software to protect itself and users from any unsafe motions. This allows students to hold the robots while running programs.

Mobot is a breakthrough modular robot system developed by Barobo, Inc. and their university partners for K-12 STEM education. A single Mobot is a fully functional robot with four degrees of freedom. It can roll, turn, crawl, stand, and tumble in addition to connecting to each other or accessories using quick release snap connectors. Mobot can be used as building blocks to create exciting shapes like a 4×4 truck, snake, dog, humanoid or anything you can imagine! Each building block is fully programmable, and can be controlled simultaneously, making it extremely versatile for a range of curriculum. Unlike many educational robots out there the Mobot is 100% wireless, no messy wires or connectors to lose. All you need is a computer with built-in Bluetooth communication or a Bluetooth dongle. Each module runs off of two rechargeable 9V batteries (included).

http://youtu.be/6qxx7K17L_8

Mobot Specifications

Mechanical

• Four degrees of freedom: Two body joints and two rotating faceplates.
• Six mounting surfaces to mount other modules or accessories.
• Modules and accessories attach using quick release snap connector.
• Weight: 18oz
• Speed of each joint: 120deg/sec
• Torque of each joint 100oz-in

Electrical

• Bluetooth enabled.
• Absolute encoding with 0.5 deg resolution.
• Off the shelf 9V rechargeable batteries.
• 2 hour battery life nominal.

Software

• Computer Platforms Supported.
  • Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
  • Mac OS X
• Graphical User Interface RobotController.
• C/C++ interpreter Ch for processing and motion control.

Mobot

Resource Links

http://www.barobo.com/

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What is M-TRAN ?

M-TRAN (Modular Transformer) is a self-reconfigurable modular robot that has been developed by AIST and Tokyo-Tech since 1998. A number of M-TRAN modules can form

-a 3-D structure which changes its own configuration
-a 3-D structure which generates smaller robots
-a multi-DOF robot which flexibly locomotes
-a robot which metamorphoses

The M-TRAN system can change its 3-D structure and its motion in order to adapt itself to the environment. In small sized configuration, it walks in a form of legged robot, then metamorphoses into a snake-like robot to enter narrow spaces. A large structure can gradually change its configuration to make a flow-like motion, climb a step by transporting modules one by one, and produce a tower structure to look down. It can also generate multiple walkers. Possible applications of the M-TRAN are autonomous exploration under unknown environment such as planetary explorations, or search and rescue operation in disaster areas.

Unique Design

The design of M-TRAN has the advantages of both two types of modular robots, lattice type and chain (linear) type. This hybrid design, unique 3-D shape of the block parts, and parallel joint axes are all keys to realize a flexible self-reconfigurable robotic system.

An M-TRAN module is composed of two blocks (1/2 cubic & 1/2 cylindrical) and a link (Fig.1). Each of the three flat surfaces of each block can mechanically connect and couple with a surface of another module. All the connection surfaces have their gender and an active (male) surface can couple with a passive (female) surface (Fig. 1) in four possible relative orientations (Fig. 2). The connection is controlled by the module itself.

-Lattice type feature: Each block rotates about its axis by the joint motor. If all the joint angles are either 0, 90 or -90 degrees, all the blocks align on the regular cubic lattice. Lattice structure is useful for self-reconfiguration.

-Chain type feature: When all the joint angles are controlled synchronously, the whole body realizes a flexible robotic motion.

Each M-TRAN module has its own controller and intelligence, and all the controllers work cooperatively forming a Distributed Autonomous System as a whole.

Snake Form of M-TRAN

Resource Links

http://unit.aist.go.jp/is/frrg/dsysd/mtran3/research.htm

Video Links

http://youtu.be/4oSavAHf0dg
http://youtu.be/v6W-sEpJEqY

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