Metamorphic strategy based on dynamic meta-modules for a self-reconfigurable robot

For a self-reconfigurable robot, how to metamorphose to adapt itself to environment is a difficult problem.To solve this problem, a new relative orientation model which describes modules and their surrounding grids was given, a module motion rules database which enables the robot to avoid obstacles was established, and finally a three-layer planner based on dynamic meta-medules was developed.The firstlayer planner designates the category of each module in robot by evaluation functions and picks out the modules in dynamic meta-modules.The second-layer planner plans the dynamic meta-module path according to output parameters of the first-layer planner.The third-layer planner plans the motion of the modules in dynamic meta-medule using topology variation oriented methods.To validate the efficiency of the three-layer planner, two simulations were given.One is the simulation of a single dynamic meta-module, the other is the simulation of planning with an initial configuration composed of 8 modules in complicated environment.Results show that the methods can make robot with any initial configuration move through metamorphosis in complicated environment efficiently.