Self-reconfigurable Modular Connection Systems

All self-reconfiguring robot systems have one thing in common, the ability dock and undock with other modules. This dock or undock subsystem requires some kind of reversible bonding mechanism. In addition, most self-reconfigurable systems rely on a variety of alignment mechanisms to ensure docking occurs correctly. This paper briefly surveys two aspects of self-reconfigurable robots, the area of acceptance, and of latching. Maximizing the area of acceptance enables the joining of two docking faces with a minimum of precision. Latching is the bonding mechanism by which two docking faces mate.

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