TETROBOT modular robotics: prototype and experiments

Abstract

TETROBOT is a modular system for the design, implementation, and control of a class of highly redundant parallel robotic mechanisms. This paper describes new experimental results based on evaluation of prototype configurations with up to 18 nodes, 48 links and 15 actuators. TETROBOT is an actuated robotic structure which may be reassembled into many different configurations while still being controlled by the same hardware and software architecture. Implementations of a double octahedral platform, a tetrahedral arm and a six-legged walker, constructed from the same set of parts, are described. The TETROBOT system addresses the needs of application domains, such as space, undersea, mining, and construction, where adaptation to unstructured and changing environments and custom design for rapid implementation are required.