Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robotic (MSRR) schemes are a vital remedy for the developing demand in consumer products, automations and space exploration. The wider factor of usage and self-healing capacity are some of the influencing characteristics of robot for actual-wide application whereas segmental robotics provide an effective remedy with respect to traditional robotics. Researchers have now noted different forms of application and prototyped different systems of robotics whereas concentrating on constraints such as homogeneity, configurability, energy consumption and form factor. Diversified condition of various segmental robotic remedies projected for actual-world application and usage of various actuators and sensors interfacing methods alongside physical optimization of models present potential problems whereas visualizing and identifying the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to remedies. This research reviews the various self-reconfigurable robotic schemes with a brief overview of history and architecture of the robotic schemes. Later in this contribution, the problems in the design of hardware, control and planning algorithms, mixed hardware and software problems and in its application problems that are underway are critically evaluated with respect to modular self-reconfigurable robotics.
G. Chirikjian, A. Pamecha and I. Ebert-Uphoff, "Evaluating efficiency of self-reconfiguration in a class of modular robots", Journal of
Robotic Systems, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 317-338, 1996. Available: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4563(199605)13:5<317::aid-rob5>3.0.co;2-t.
D. Bie, Y. Wang, Y. Zhang, C. Liu, J. zhao and Y. Zhu, "Parametric L-systems-based modeling self-reconfiguration of modular robots in
obstacle environments", International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 172988141875447, 2018. Available:
10.1177/1729881418754477.
D. Bie, Y. Zhu, X. Wang, Y. Zhang and J. Zhao, "L-systems driven self-reconfiguration of modular robots", International Journal of
Advanced Robotic Systems, vol. 13, no. 5, p. 172988141666934, 2016. Available: 10.1177/1729881416669349.
Y. Fei, Y. Zhu and P. Xia, "Analysis on Self-Morphing Process of Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robot", International Journal of Advanced
Robotic Systems, vol. 6, no. 3, p. 23, 2009. Available: 10.5772/7232.
T. Larkworthy and S. Ramamoorthy, "A characterization of the reconfiguration space of self-reconfiguring robotic systems", Robotica, vol.
29, no. 1, pp. 73-85, 2011. Available: 10.1017/s0263574710000718.
Y. Fei and C. Wang, "Self-Repairing Algorithm of Lattice-Type Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robots", Journal of Intelligent & Robotic
Systems, vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 193-203, 2013. Available: 10.1007/s10846-013-9885-8.
A. Spröwitz, R. Moeckel, M. Vespignani, S. Bonardi and A. Ijspeert, "Roombots: A hardware perspective on 3D self-reconfiguration and
locomotion with a homogeneous modular robot", Robotics and Autonomous Systems, vol. 62, no. 7, pp. 1016-1033, 2014. Available:
10.1016/j.robot.2013.08.011.
S. Chennareddy, A. Agrawal and A. Karuppiah, "Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robotic Systems: A Survey on Hardware Architectures",
Journal of Robotics, vol. 2017, pp. 1-19, 2017. Available: 10.1155/2017/5013532.
A. Kataria, H. Özbay and H. Hemami, "Controller design for natural and robotic systems with transmission delays", Journal of Robotic
Systems, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 231-244, 2002. Available: 10.1002/rob.10037.
F. LIAN and P. LIN, "MODULE DESIGN WITH COMMUNICATION AND RECONFIGURATION FOR SNAKE-TYPE MODULAR
ROBOTIC SYSTEMS", International Journal of Information Acquisition, vol. 07, no. 03, pp. 205-223, 2010. Available:
10.1142/s0219878910002166.
O. Ostertag and E. Ostertagová, "Shape Memory Alloy Actuator (SMA)", Applied Mechanics and Materials, vol. 816, pp. 9-15, 2015.
Available: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.816.9.
X. GAO, S. JIANG, L. REN, X. JIANG, G. CHEN and R. LUO, "Experimental Research on Self-adaptability of Tri-axis Differential In-pipe
Robot Drive Unit", ROBOT, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 419-424, 2010. Available: 10.3724/sp.j.1218.2010.00419.
T. Yoshida et al., "Benefits of side-by-side deployment of 6-mm covered self-expandable metal stents for hilar malignant biliary
obstructions", Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences, vol. 23, no. 9, pp. 548-555, 2016. Available: 10.1002/jhbp.372.
Y. CAO, W. GE and H. ZHANG, "Structure Design and Simulation Analysis of an Innovative Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robot-360bot",
Robot, vol. 35, no. 5, p. 568, 2013. Available: 10.3724/sp.j.1218.2013.00568.
J. Panasiuk and M. Soroczyńska, "Design of walking robot model moving on vertical areas", Mechanik, vol. 90, no. 7, pp. 637-639, 2017.
Available: 10.17814/mechanik.2017.7.97.
H. Kurokawa, K. Tomita, A. Kamimura, S. Kokaji, T. Hasuo and S. Murata, "Distributed Self-Reconfiguration of M-TRAN III Modular
Robotic System", The International Journal of Robotics Research, vol. 27, no. 3-4, pp. 373-386, 2008. Available:
10.1177/0278364907085560.
S. Motavalli and B. Bahr, "Automated tool monitoring system using vision system for a robotic cell", Robotics and Computer-Integrated
Manufacturing, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 311-319, 1993. Available: 10.1016/0736-5845(93)90044-k.
O. Kosak, C. Wanninger, A. Hoffmann, H. Ponsar and W. Reif, "Multipotent Systems: Combining Planning, Self-Organization, and
Reconfiguration in Modular Robot Ensembles", Sensors, vol. 19, no. 1, p. 17, 2018. Available: 10.3390/s19010017.
D. WANG, Y. HUANG and X. CHEN, "Design and implementation of geometric knowledge base", Journal of Computer Applications, vol. 29,
no. 2, pp. 398-402, 2009. Available: 10.3724/sp.j.1087.2009.00398
M. Wenger et al., "CDS Tools for Cross-Identification", Open Astronomy, vol. 9, no. 4, 2000. Available: 10.1515/astro-2000-0427.
Acknowledgements
Author(s) thanks to university of Nairobi for this research support.
Funding
No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
Availability of data and materials
No data available for above study.
Author information
Contributions
All authors have equal contribution in the paper and all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivs is a more restrictive license. It allows you to redistribute the material commercially or non-commercially but the user cannot make any changes whatsoever to the original, i.e. no derivatives of the original work. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Cite this article
John Huria Nderitu, “Review of Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robotic Systems and Potential Industry Problems”, Journal of Machine and Computing, vol.1, no.3, pp. 123-131, July 2021. doi: 10.53759/7669/jmc202101014.