Path Tracking and Connection Mechanism of a Reconfigurable, Foldable, Legged, and Miniature Robot

Abstract

This work introduces the reconfigurable, foldable, legged, and miniature robot (REMIRO), a palm-size modular robot with compliant c-shaped legs. The robot’s body modules are made by folding acetate sheets. The legs connected to these modules are made of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using molding. The backbone modules are made of Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) using 3D printing. In this study, we propose a path tracking algorithm for our robot that enables our modules to move from a random initial location to the pose required to lock with another module. We also design and manufacture backbones with embedded permanent magnets to allow connection between modules. We also present a kinematic model of our robot utilizing c-shaped leg kinematics, predicting the forward differential kinematics of the robot, which is then used to test the path tracking algorithm. Our experiments show that the proposed path tracking algorithm moves our robot to the desired location with an average positioning error of 5mm and an average orientation error of 22°, which are small enough to permit docking between modules.