Self-Reconfiguring Robotic Systems & M-Blocks

Self-reconfiguring robots are no longer science fiction. Researchers at MIT are rapidly innovating shape-shifting robotic systems. In the August 2014 issue of Circuit Cellar, MIT researcher Kyle Gilpin presents M-Blocks, which are 50-mm cubic modules capable of controlled self-reconfiguration. The creation of autonomous machines capable of shape-shifting has been a long-running dream of scientists and engineers. Our enthusiasm for these self-reconfiguring robots is fueled by fantastic science fiction blockbusters, but it stems from the potential that self-reconfiguring robots have to revolutionize our interactions with the world around us. Imagine the convenience of a universal toolkit that can produce even the most specialized tool on demand in a matter of minutes. Alternatively, consider a piece of furniture, or an entire room, that could change its configuration to suit the personal preferences of its occupant. Assembly lines could automatically adapt to new products, and construction scaffolding could build itself while workers sleep. At MIT’s Distributed Robotics Lab, we are working to make these dreams into reality through the development of the M-Blocks. The M-Blocks are a set of 50-mm cubic modules capable of controlled self-reconfiguration. Each M-Block is an autonomous robot that can not only move independently, but can also magnetically bond with other M-Blocks to form larger reconfigurable systems. When part of a group, each module can climb over and around its neighbors. Our goal is that a set of M-Blocks, dispersed randomly across the ground, could locate one another and then independently move to coalesce into a macro-scale object, like a chair. The modules could then reconfigure themselves into a sphere and collectively roll to a new location. If, in the process, the collective encounters an obstacle (e.g., a set of stairs to be ascended), the sphere co