Duke Robotics Seminar - Three Decades of Modular Robotics

Speaker: Mark Yim ABSTRACT: Modular self-reconfigurable robots can change the arrangement of the modules that make up the system. For example, a robot in a search and rescue context could rapidly approach a damaged building in the shape of a wheel, then transform into a snake-like robot to slither through small cracks and explore voids for victims, then transform again into a dome like support structure around the person until help can arrive. After proposing this vision 30 years ago what have we achieved? We have self-reconfigurable robots that can form many shapes, perform many types of locomotion and other tasks, but there are many problems yet to be solved before these systems will be useful. We will talk about these problems and some innovative ideas to solve them. In the extreme people talk about morphing robots from the movies and self-adapting, unstoppable robots. What are the social implications of this type of technology? We'll also briefly discuss responsible innovation and the role of scientists and engineers in society. MARK YIM is the Asa Whitney Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. His group has demonstrated robots ranging from a humanoid on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the smallest self-powered flying robot in the world. His current research focus includes modular reconfigurable robots, highly conformable robot arms that can conform around objects and articulate into tight spaces, swarms of small flying robots that can group into shapes that interact with humans and swarms of microscopic robots that can build structures. His other research interests include product design, robotic performance art, novel locomotion, and steerable needles. Application areas include urban search and rescue as well as healthcare. He also serves as faculty director of the Integrated Product Design program and Co-director of Penn4C (a nursing, engineering, community collaboratory). Prior to Penn, he spent ten years in industry including positions as Principal Scientist at the Palo Alto Research Center (formerly Xerox PARC) and Virtual Technologies, a virtual reality startup company. He received his PhD from Stanford University.