Towards Stiffness Tunable Programmable Matter

Manes, L ORCID: 0000-0002-5426-2925, Fichera, S ORCID: 0000-0003-1006-4959 and Paoletti, P ORCID: 0000-0001-6131-0377 (2024) Towards Stiffness Tunable Programmable Matter IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 9 (5). pp. 4401-4406. ISSN 2377-3766, 2377-3766

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Abstract

The Datom is a novel design for a programmable matter robotic agent, proposed by Piranda and Bourgeois (2022), that can move and reconfigure by deforming its outer shell. This letter explores how the kinematic behaviour of the single Datom, paired with the stiffness of its actuators, can determine the stiffness of the structures the agents create. We propose a simplified mathematical model based on conservation of elastic energy that can characterise the stiffness of lattice structures created by Datoms. The model is validated experimentally to demonstrate that it provides good predictions, especially as the size of the lattice increases. Furthermore, an implementation for a stiffness tunable reconfigurable lattice is proposed and a functioning proof-of-concept prototype is introduced in this paper.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	4007 Control Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics, 40 Engineering, Bioengineering, 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
Divisions:	Faculty of Science & Engineering > School of Engineering
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	27 Mar 2024 15:13
Last Modified:	23 Jan 2026 18:25
DOI:	10.1109/LRA.2024.3381481
Related Websites:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3179989
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