Reconfiguration optimization for a swarm of wheel-manipulator robots

This paper focuses on the reconfiguration optimization of the swarm configurations assembled by the reconfigurable wheel-manipulator robots, which can independently perform the actions of locomotion and manipulation. The aim of reconfiguration is to generate better configurations while adapting to the environment. The reconfiguration of swarm configurations can be classified into the configuration assembly and configuration transformation. The Module State Vector and Configuration State Matrix are applied to optimization analysis in order to acquire the relation of the state transformation. The algorithms are presented for assembling optimally the configuration of individual modules and reconfiguring optimally the configuration of the robots. Their validity is evaluated and demonstrated through the numerical simulations.