Directed locomotion of a collective robot composed of stochastically interacting immotile robots was achieved. Robot locomotion is typically generated by coordinated integration of single-purpose components, like actuators, sensors, body segments, and limbs. We posit that certain future robots could self-propel using systems in which a delineation of components and their interactions is not so clear, becoming robust and flexible entities composed of functional components that are redundant and generic and can interact stochastically. Control of such a collective becomes a challenge because synthesis techniques typically assume known input-output relationships. To discover principles by which such future robots can be built and controlled, we study a model robophysical system: planar ensembles of periodically deforming smart, active particles—smarticles. When enclosed, these individually immotile robots could collectively diffuse via stochastic mechanical interactions. We show experimentally and theoretically that directed drift of such a supersmarticle could be achieved via inactivation of individual smarticles and used this phenomenon to generate endogenous phototaxis. By numerically modeling the relationship between smarticle activity and transport, we elucidated the role of smarticle deactivation on supersmarticle dynamics from little data—a single experimental trial. From this mapping, we demonstrate that the supersmarticle could be exogenously steered anywhere in the plane, expanding supersmarticle capabilities while simultaneously enabling decentralized closed-loop control. We suggest that the smarticle model system may aid discovery of principles by which a class of future “stochastic” robots can rely on collective internal mechanical interactions to perform tasks.

中文翻译：

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由机器人制成的机器人：Smarticle合奏的紧急运输和控制

实现了由随机交互的不动机器人组成的集体机器人的定向运动。机器人的运动通常是由诸如致动器，传感器，身体部位和四肢之类的单一用途组件的协调集成而产生的。我们认为，某些未来的机器人可以使用其中组件的描述不太清楚的系统进行自我推进，从而成为由冗余且通用的功能组件组成的健壮而灵活的实体，并且可以随机地进行交互。控制此类集合体成为一项挑战，因为合成技术通常采用已知的输入-输出关系。为了发现构建和控制此类未来机器人所依据的原理，我们研究了一个模型机器人物理系统：周期性变形的智能平面集合，活性颗粒-mart 当封闭时，这些不动手的机器人可以通过随机机械相互作用共同扩散。我们从实验和理论上表明，这样的超级智能体的定向漂移可以通过单个智能体的失活来实现，并利用这种现象产生内源趋光性。通过对智囊团活动与转运之间的关系进行数值建模，我们通过少量实验阐明了智囊团失活对超级智囊团动力学的作用。通过此映射，我们证明了超级智能可以在飞机上的任何地方进行外向操纵，扩展了超级智能的功能，同时还实现了分散式闭环控制。