Communications of the ACM
Researchers Build Four-Legged Swarming Robots
Quadruped robots connected to create a multilegged robot to achieve object trans- port in rough terrain.
Credit: University of Notre Dame
Robotics engineer Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin at the University of Notre Dame and experimental physicist Daniel I. Goldman at the Georgia Institute of Technology built multi-legged robots that can maneuver in challenging environments and accomplish complex tasks that are not achievable by individual robots.
They describe their work in "Self-Reconfigurable Multilegged Robot Swarms Collectively Accomplish Challenging Terradynamic Tasks," published in Science Robotics.
Ozkan-Aydin began her research during the COVID-19 pandemic, and conducted her experiments at home, in her yard, or at the playground with her son. Built using a 3D printer, the four-legged robots measure 15-to-20-centimeters in length. Each was equipped with a lithium polymer battery, microcontroller, and three sensors — a light sensor at the front and two magnetic touch sensors at the front and back, allowing the robots to connect to one another.
The study's findings are expected to inform the design of low-cost legged swarms that can adapt to unforeseen situations and perform real-world cooperative tasks.
From University of Notre Dame
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