Experimentation for Modular Robot Simulation by Python Coding to Establish Multiple Configurations

Most of the Modular Self-reconfigurable (MSR) robots are being developed in order to have the capability of achieving different locomotion gaits. It is an approach of robotic system which involving a group of identical robotic modules that are connecting together and are able to perform specific tasks. In this study, a 3D-printed MSR robot named Dtto–Explorer Modular Robot was used to investigate the achievable propagation that can be made based on three of Dtto robot modules. As Dtto robot is developed based on Modular Transformer (M-TRAN), Dtto robot has the number of Degree of Freedom (DOF) same as M-TRAN which is 2 DOF. Hence, this study is done with the intentions to know the variation of configuration that can be made by multiple module robots which have only 2 DOF. The robot propagation was simulated in Virtual Robot Experimentation Platform (V-REP) software. The result of the simulation shows that the Dtto MSR robot can propagate multiple configurations after all the robot modules being connected to each other by different attachment orientation of the Dtto robot and it is suitable for the purpose of further research on MSR robot architecture. Keywords—Dtto robot; simulation; configuration; locomotion; orientation

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