CAREER: Programmed Robotic Self Assembly

自组装（SA）发生在许多构建块被放置在一个环境中，该环境在化学上有利于它们形成结构化聚集体。例如，当系统被轻轻摇动时，漂浮在液-液界面上的毫米级瓷砖之间的毛细作用力产生各种形状的规则阵列。类似的现象在病毒组装、有机体发育、硅晶体生长、电子学、病原体探测器、人造组织、自组织无线网络和可重构机器人设备中发挥着至关重要的作用。然而，工程SA的大多数示例通常产生相当简单的、规则的部件阵列。设计一个能够自我组装像病毒这样复杂和不规则的东西的系统，在理论上和技术上都远远超出了我们的能力。PI建议通过为要组装的部件提供对它们参与的绑定相互作用的主动控制来解决这个问题，开发编程机器人自我组装的理论和实践。特别是，PI建议在测试台中实现可编程机器人SA，其中可编程部件具有微控制器，本地传感器和机械或磁性闩锁。这个想法是近似有机SA，其中分子构象（形状）的变化引导组装过程。测试台应该能够执行的任务是：“给定用户输入的所需装配规范，将程序下载到每个机器人部件上，以便当它们放置在合适的环境中时，部件自组装成所需装配的副本。“这项计划的成功，将产生一类有用的机器人自组装结构，以及它们的设计和操作理论。拟议的研究涉及计算机科学、动力系统和控制、机器人技术和嵌入式系统的理论模型。”因此，需要对各级学生进行跨学科教育。 为了满足这一需求，PI将开发两门新课程，关于自组织系统和规范与控制，以及跨学科合作，旨在培养精通计算机科学，机器人技术，控制和这些领域越来越多地应用的信息丰富的物理环境的研究生和本科生。PI认识到，并不是所有的学生都有平等的经验，导致在大学期间。因此，PI将与华盛顿大学工程学院的数学工程科学成就计划合作，在PI的实验室雇用高中生实习生。此外，为了使公众能够获得拟议的研究和课程开发的结果，PI建议更普遍地创建SA和机器人的交互式演示。该材料将在网络上以及PI的实验室中提供，PI及其学生将与华盛顿大学电气工程系的K-12外展计划一起用于教育和外展

Self-assembly (SA) occurs when many building blocks are placed in an environment that thermodynamically favors their forming structured aggregates. For example, capillary forces between millimeter scale tiles floating on a liquid-liquid interface produce regular arrays of various shapes as the system is gently shaken. Similar phenomena play crucial roles in the assembly of viruses, organism development, growth of silicon crystals, electronics, pathogen detectors, artificial tissue, ad hoc wireless networks and reconfigurable robotic devices. However, most examples of engineered SA usually produce rather simple, regular arrays of parts. Engineering a system that self assembles something as complicated and irregular as, for example, a virus is well beyond our capabilities both theoretically and technologically.The PI proposes to address this problem by supplying the parts to be assembled with active control over the binding interactions in which they participate, developing a theory and practice of Programmed Robotic Self-Assembly. In particular, the PI proposes to implement programmed robotic SA in a test-bed where programmable parts have micro-controllers, local sensors and mechanical or magnetic latches. The idea is to approximate organic SA where changes in molecular conformation (shape) guide the assembly process. A task that the test-bed should be able to perform is: "Given a desired assembly specification input by the user, download programs onto each robotic part so that, when they are placed in a suitable environment, the parts self assemble into copies of the desired assembly." The success of this agenda will yield a useful class of robotic self-assembling structures as well as a theory for their design and operation.The proposed research involves theoretical models from computer science, dynamical systems and control, robotics and embedded systems. Thus, the interdisciplinary education of students of all levels is required. To address this need, the PI will develop two new courses, on Self Organizing Systems and Specification and Control, and interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at creating graduate and undergraduate students well versed in computer science, robotics, controls and the information-rich physical settings in which these fields are increasingly applied. The PI recognizes that not all students have equal experiences leading up to and while in college. Therefore, the PI will collaborate with the University of Washington College of Engineering's Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement program to employ high school student interns in the PI's laboratory. Furthermore, to make the results of the proposed research and curriculum development accessible to the public, the PI proposes to create interactive demonstrations of SA and robotics more generally. This material will be made available on the web as well as in the PI's lab and will be used by the PI and his students for education and outreach in conjunction with the University of Washington Electrical Engineering Department's K-12 outreach program