SuperBot is a modular, multifunctional and
reconfigurable robot, designed by Dr. Wei-Min Shen and
his team at the Information Sciences Institute at USC.
You might say that SuperBot is really a set
of individual robots that work together to move around
and solve problems. Dr. Shen has been awarded more
than $8 million in grants from NASA, DARPA
and the NSF to
continue his research, including constructing a 100
module prototype to demonstrate how SuperBot might be
used in space exploration [image,
video].
Dr.
Shen points out the limits of the current set of
robotic devices used for space exploration:
One of the most challenging issues for
human-centered long-range space exploration is
performing complex tasks in environments that are not
human-friendly.... the traditional approach of
building separate robots for separate tasks (such as
the CanadaArm
and surface
rovers) may no longer be adequate for affordable
space exploration as the required robotic tasks become
diverse and the need to pack many functionalities into
a single launch volume increases.
Dr. Shen proposes the SuperBot modules as a
way to meet this goal. Each module is a "robot" in its
own right, with microcontrollers, sensors,
communications, power supply, three degrees of freedom
and six connecting faces to dynamically connect with
other modules [image].
At launch, or when land ng, SuperBot can pack itself
into a minimum amount of space.
Upon arrival, SuperBot can unpack itself and
take any of a wide variety of forms. For example, it
might form several exploration rovers, one SuperBot
capable of rolling down hill [image,
video],
another twisting "sidewinder-style"
over level sand while another forms a SuperBot
climbing robot to take on more challenging
terrain.
SuperBot will help NASA to reduce costs and
simplify operations by reusing robotic components from
mission to mission. If the robotic modules are truly
interchangeable and interoperable, the need for
redundant parts on a given mission can be reduced,
thus lowering payload mass and cost. Mission
reliabilty and safety would be enhanced, since the
modules themselves would know how to perform tasks,
and would require less active direction from astronauts
or ground crews.
Dr. Shen hopes to have his 100 module
SuperBot operational and ready for testing in a desert
environment by 2008.
The following articles provide more
information about similar robots:
- Self-Replicating
Modular Robots
Each ten centimeter cube is an
autonomous unit with a microprocessor and a set of
instructions on how to link themselves with other
modules.
- TETWalker:
Shape-Shifting Robot Swarm
This bot is a
prototype member of an autonomous nanotechnology
swarm that can alter their shape to flow smoothly
over rocky terrain.
Read more at the SuperBot press release and in this
short (pdf).
(This Science Fiction in the News
story used with permission from Technovelgy.com -
where science meets fiction.)