A distributed method for reconfiguration of a three-dimensional homogeneous structure

A distributed reconfiguration method is proposed for a three-dimensional re configurable structure, composed of many identical mechanical units. The me thod aims to enable the structure to transform itself into a desired struct ure from an arbitrary initial configuration. The proposed method is impleme nted in such a way that each unit has identical software as well as hardwar e, so that any unit can play any role in the system. It is also featured by a stochastic relaxation process, which allows the system to converge to a given target structure by searching for a proper unit motion over many degr ees of freedom. Furthermore, the method is extended for the structure to re configure itself dynamically according to the environment. The effectivenes s of the method is confirmed by computer simulations.