Polygonal shape-shifting robot for space travel emerges
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Two Mori modules are paired.
Image credit: EPFL
The digital world of polygonal meshes and the biological world of swarm behavior have inspired researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). They have developed a foldable robot that can change shape, move around, and interact with objects and people, and can morph from a 2D triangle to almost any 3D shape, pioneering modularity, reports the latest issue of the journal Nature Machine Intelligence. Pioneer of robotics. In the future, this kind of robot may have wide application prospects in space travel.
“Our goal was to create a modular folding robot that can be assembled and disassembled at will according to the environment and tasks it faces,” said Jamie Parker, director of EPFL’s Reconfigurable Robotics Laboratory.
The robot, called Mori3, can change its size, shape and function. Each module of the Mori3 robot is triangular. The modules are easily linked together to create polygons of different sizes and configurations.
The research team says they have demonstrated that polygonal meshes are a viable robotics strategy. To achieve this goal, the team had to push the boundaries of every aspect of robotics, including mechanical and electronic design, computer systems and engineering. So the researchers developed the Mori3 robot, which excels at doing the three things a robot can do: move around, handle and carry objects, and interact with users.
What are the advantages of creating modular and multifunctional robots? Parker explained that polygonal and polymorphic robots that are interconnected to create joint structures could be used effectively in a variety of situations, performing a wider range of tasks.
Current spacecraft are not spatially equipped to have a different robot for each individual task that needs to be performed. The researchers said that the biggest feature of Mori3 is its versatility. It was created “for the sky”, and its design is partly for use on spacecraft. In the future, the team hopes the Mori3 robot will be used for communication and external repairs.
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