Emergent behaviors of a linear cluster robot system: enclosing and molding of flexible shaped object

This paper discusses emergent abilities of a cluster robot system. A cluster robot system is an aggregation of simple robot modules that are linearly interconnected by way of passive joints. A cluster robot system interacts dynamically with its environment, enabling it to develop numerous task abilities. Each robot module performs one of four types of actions, approaching, avoiding, staying, and complying. A cluster robot system can be designed from robot modules of the same type or different types. A specific configuration of robot modules in a cluster robot exhibits a specific behavior. We call the configuration of the robot modules ´configuration algorithm (CA)´. In this study we assign a cluster robot a set of tasks, self-formation, enclosing an object, and molding an object. We experimentally demonstrate that emerging task-abilities in a cluster robot depend on the CA. For example, the cluster robot interacts with an initially linear yielding object, then it forms a stack of the object by emergent behaviors, pushing, wiping, buckling, scrolling, and twin-scrolling. In another example, a cluster robot completely gathers many discrete objects within a large area in relation to the body size of the cluster robot.