Collaborative Research: Magnetically-Controlled Modules with Reconfigurable Self-Assembly and Disassembly

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Small scale manufacturing in real-time faces unique challenges. Components must be assembled inside or in close proximity to existing structures, such as inside the vasculature of an animal, inside a microfluidic system, or around soldered semiconductor components. This project will develop a new small-scale manufacturing method with the precision of modules, the reusability of Legos, and the self-assembly of DNA – but one that is controllable by an external magnetic field. Existing reconfigurable modular systems either use complex intelligent subunits, or are slow, usually only actuating a small number of modules at a time. There is an urgent need for robust, controllable, and efficient methods to overcome the existing issues regarding modular robotics and controllable self-reconfiguration. This award will design an innovative reconfigurable modular robotic system that uses actuatable subcomponents that can be actively assembled or disassembled on command. The modular subunits contain permanent magnets and are actuated using external magnetic fields generated by an electromagnetic system. The subunits can be moved in different motion modes that evolve dynamically as subunits assemble into complex modular structures. The issues addressed by this project are at the interface of small-scale robotics, control theory, design & manufacturing, and materials science, and hold exciting prospects for fundamental research with the potential for diverse applications. The project will provide tools and guidelines that will help advance current and future modular robotic systems. If successful, these robots can be used to perform targeted drug delivery, improve several healthcare procedures that utilize stents, and broaden microscale manufacturing prospects to produce more complex and dynamic systems. This research program integrates theoretical and experimental work with the following objectives: (1: Control) Fabricate scalable and magnetically controllable modular subunits through high resolution 3D printing techniques and embed bipolar permanent magnets to enable programmable spatial variation of magnetic properties to create heterogeneous behavior among subunits under a single global control input; design control techniques for steering components and assemblies; controllers for disassembly, (2: Applications) Manipulate modular subunits to assemble plugs, encapsulate objects, approximate shapes, and build scaffolds. (3: Multiplex) Advance algorithms for building factories that greatly speed up the assembly rate of modules into desired shapes and configurations. (4: Hardware) Fabricate an operational small-scale manipulation prototypical system that will integrate the other objectives' results and demonstrate a 3D small-scale fabrication system. This project is supported by the cross-directorate Foundational Research in Robotics program, jointly managed and funded by the Directorates for Engineering (ENG) and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.