Self-Organized Adaptive Paths in Multi-Robot Manufacturing : Reconfigurable and Pattern-Independent Fibre Deployment

Abstract

Using multi-robot systems for autonomous construction allows for parallelization and scalability. Swarm construction furthermore exploits robot interactions and collaboration, such that the robot swarm collectively constructs artifacts beyond what a single comparable robot could achieve. Here we present an alternative concept of swarm construction that is distinct because it uses continuous building material. Our approach is unique in its use of braiding techniques for construction. We deploy fibres that potentially allow for structures that are not possible with building blocks. To achieve maximal scalability we restrict ourselves to a decentralized approach. The main challenges are the local coordination of the robot teams, self-organized task allocation, and the dynamic reconfiguration of the braiding scheme at runtime. We successfully validate our approach in multi-robot experiments that show both braiding and branching of the braid. In addition, we show options for implementing an open system-that is robots can join and leave the braiding process on the fly.