An experimental study on a self-repairing modular machine

A self-assembling and self-repairing mechanical system is experimentally st udied to demonstrate its effectiveness. We developed a 2-D model of an auto nomous mechanical unit capable of dynamic reconfiguration and inter-unit co mmunication. Self-assembly and self-repair experiments have been carried ou t using a distributed algorithm developed under the constraints of the syst em's homogeneity and locality of information exchange. Tn experiments, more than ten units successfully configured themselves and recovered from a fau lt. Besides the research of the 2-D model, a model of a 3-D system and its self-assembly algorithm are also developed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.