Reconfigurable robot components based on liquid metal

This paper presents initial results of a project to develop reconfigurable robots. Amongst other elements, all robotic devices incorporate a mechanical structure and actuators to move the structure and to cause it to act upon its environment. Actuators and their associated sensors and power electronics are expensive components and it would normally be important to minimise the number used. There are a number of situations where a robotic mechanism could benefit from additional articulations such as during initial deployment where a robot is unpacked from a compact storage configuration, or while negotiating confined places where a robot is reconfigured to fit through a narrow gap. In these cases an articulation is required that will only be adjusted very infrequently. This paper proposes the use of phase change in a low melting point metal alloy as a means of selectively reconfiguring a robot structure and even providing a degree of self-repair. The background to this project is described and results of initial experiments involving a reconfigurable robot leg joint are presented.