A Novel Connection Mechanism for Dynamically Reconfigurable Modular Robots

This paper describes a novel hermaphroditic, single sided disconnect physical connector for heterogeneous modular robots built using eight permanent magnets arranged in rotating pairs. The connector has 4 rotational degrees of symmetry and incorporates power and data sharing. The connector has been designed as part of a project creating 10 cm cubic heterogeneous modules but could be easily scaled to different sizes for other applications. The paper begins with an introduction to connection mechanisms in modular robots, followed by a detailed description of the design of the connector. A description of the simulation environment created to test systems of interconnected modular robots is given, followed by the implementation and testing of the connection system created.