Abstract
he task of designing robots to operate at small scales is challenging because traditional approaches to designing robotic systems often do not scale well to smaller domains. Reducingthe size of a robot incurs significant limitations for on-board intelligence and mechanical
actuation as well as fundamental differences in the interactions between robot and environment. Instead, inspiration can be found in biological systems, where tasks are often achieved by many agents working together to complete tasks that would be impossible for a single agent. Locomotion is often a fundamental requirement of such systems. Therefore, finding ways to induce and control locomotion in small-scale robots is a vital first step towards deploying mobile artificial systems. To this end, new developments in synthesising smart materials that react to stimuli provide valuable opportunities to explore novel approaches for designing controllable small-scale robotic systems. One example is ProtoCellular Materials (PCMs), a film-like soft material that can contract in the presence of light or at higher temperatures. Materials that react to light are of particular interest due to the high spatial and temporal resolution that can be achieved with light, which can allow for independent control of many agents. Morphological factors often play a crucial role in determining the behaviour of both single robots and multi-robot systems. Yet, understanding how to design morphologies of (groups of) robots optimally is a challenge. In this thesis, I study the locomotive potential of PCM morphologies in simulation and build a hardware platform based on the Dynamic Optical Micro-Environment (DOME) to facilitate real world experiments using light-based closed-loop control algorithms. Whilst achieving reliable locomotion with PCMs remains a challenge, this toolset will enable future research into similar types of photo-contractile smart materials, towards the deployment of new locomotive robotic systems at small scales.
| Date of Award | 8 Jul 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Supervisor | Helmut Hauser (Supervisor) & Sabine Hauert (Supervisor) |