Download - Upload File Seminar
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 1/52
CONTENTS
Chapter Page No.
1. Abstract 5
2. Introduction 6
3. Fractal robots x
4. Movement algorithm 31
5. Self repair 35
6. Application of fractal robots 41
7. Limitation 51
8. Conclusion 52
9. Reference 53
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 2/52
ABSTRACT
Fractal Robots is an emerging new service that promises to
revolutionize every aspect of human technology. Fractal robots are objects made
from cubic bricks that can be controlled by a computer to change shape and
reconfigure themselves into objects of different shapes. These cubic motorized
bricks can be programmed to move and shuffle themselves to change shape to make
objects like a house potentially in a few seconds. This technology has the potential
to penetrate every field of human work like construction, medicine, research and
others. Fractal robots can enable buildings to be built within a day, help perform
sensitive medical operations and can assist in laboratory experiments. This
technology is called Digital Matter Control and is implemented here with a machine
called robotic cubes and the entire technology is called Fractal Robot Technology.
Also Fractal Robots have built-in self repair which means they can continue without
human intervention.
This session covers an overview of this technology, the capability of
Fractal Robots, the role they can play in shaping our future.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 3/52
1. INTRODUCTION
The birth of every technology is the result of the quest for automation
of some form of human work. This has led to many inventions that have made life
easier for us. Fractal Robot is a science that promises to revolutionize technology in
a way that has never been witnessed before.
The principle behind Fractal Robots is very simple. You take some
cubic bricks made of metals and plastics, motorize them, put some electronics
inside them and control them with a computer and you get machines that can
change shape from one object to another. Almost immediately, you can now build a
home in a matter of minutes if you had enough bricks and instruct the bricks to
shuffle around and make a house! It is exactly like kids playing with Lego bricks
and making a toy hose or a toy bridge by snapping together Lego bricks-except now
we are using computer and all the work is done under total computer control. No
manual intervention is required. Fractal Robots are the hardware equivalent of
computer software
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 4/52
Figure (1) Basic block
A modular robot can be defined as a robotic system constructed from a set of
standardized components (or building blocks).
Modular robots are of interest because they permit the construction of a
wide variety specialized robots from the set of standard components. Over the last ten
years, research efforts in the field of modular robotics have been directed towards
robotic manipulations with the goal of versatility and adaptability [Hamlin and
Sanderson, 1996; Yim et al., 20001. Less effort has been made in the field of self-
reconfigurable modular robots, which are modular robots which can autonomously
change their configuration. Most robots have been built to perform particular tasks.
Stationary manipulators are designed to move materials, parts, or tools for industrial
applications. While mobile robots are able to move effectively on hard and smooth
terrains [Muir and Neumann, 19871, legged robots have been studied because of their
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 5/52
agility in traversing uneven terrain [Todd, 19851. In some applications, robots should
have the ability to perform a wide range of tasks autonomously.
1.1 What are Fractals?
A fractal is anything which has a substantial measure of exact or
statistical self-similarity. Wherever you look at any part of its body it will be similar
to the whole object. The modular self reconfigurable robot is proposed in order to
make a system adaptable to the different given tasks and unknown environment.
Where the modular reconfigurable robots would be used? A modular, self-
reconfigurable robot is most useful in an unknown, complex environment. For
example, a building that has been damaged by earthquake contains a variety of
obstructions and may not be not be suitable for any particular Standard robot. A
reconfigurable robot, with the ability to locomote over a variety of terrains, through
gaps and over obstacles can perform well in this situation. With the adaptability of
the modular robot, it can pass through narrow passageways (in a snake-like
configuration), it could reshape into a legged robot and walk over rubble and it can
climb stairs or even onto desks by self-reconfiguration.
Another application is space/planetary exploration, where
unpredictable terrains on a planet have to be explored by a robot before human
beings are sent.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 6/52
A variety of self-reconfiguring modular robots have been investigated
[Tomita et al., 1999; Yoshida et al., 1999; Castano and Will, 2000; Rus and Vona,
2000; Unsal and Khosla, 20001. In this paper, we survey existing modular robots
and propose our own design for heterogeneous selfreconfigurable modular robotic
system.
Figure (2) Homogeneous fractum
We believe that a successful self-reconfigurable modular robot must be
heterogeneous simply because a homogeneous robot whose modules each contain
all of the actuation, sensing, CPU and battery requirements will be physically too
large. In this area, as in many others, it helps to mimic biological systems and to
develop specialized heterogeneous modules.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 7/52
1.2 HISTORY
ACM
The active cord mechanism (ACM).A snake like robot mechanism was
an early development by Hirose [Hirose, 19931.]
Figure (3) ACM
The ACM is a homogeneous modular robot and it was used to try to mimic snake
movement. Both manipulation and locomotion have been implemented in for the
ACM.
TETROBOT
Hamlin and Sanderson [Hamlin and Sanderson, i 9961 implemented a
modular system. TETROBOT.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 8/52
Figure (4) TETROBOT
Novel spherical joints were used to design a homogeneous truss structured robot (see
Figure i (b)). The joint design allows the structure to spherically move around a centre of
rotation. However, connecting parts are manually assembled. The authors presented
possible configurations of the system as follows: Double Octahedral, Tetrahedral
Manipulator (as shown in Figure i (b)) and Six Legged Walker TETROBOT. Suggested
applications were space/sea exploration and construction sites.
CEBOT
A cellular robotic system (CEBOT) was developed by Fukuda and
Kawauchi [Fukuda and Kawauchi, i 9901. This is a homogeneous modular robot where
each cell has limited sensing and computation. The problem of determining an optimal
arrangement of cells for a particular task was studied. Experiments in automated re-
configuration were carried out but the robot did not self-reconfigure, a manipulator arm
was required for this.
FRACTA
Murata et al. considered 3D [Murata et aL, i9981 and
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 9/52
2D [Tomita et al., I 9991 categories of homogeneous distributed system. In the 3D
design, Fracta (as shown in Figure I (c)) has three symmetric axes with twelve degrees
of freedom. A unit is composed of a 265 mm cube weighing 7kg with connecting arms
attached to each face. Self- reconfiguration is performed by means of rotating the arms
Figure (5) FRACTA
and an automatic connection mechanism. Each unit has an on-board microprocessor and
Communication system. The drawback of this approach is that each module is quite big
and heavy. The connection mechanism uses six sensors and encoders, further increasing
system complexity. However, this is one of the few systems that can achieve 3D self-
reconfiguration. This system perfectly illustrates the problems with a homogeneous
design: the modules become big and cumbersome.
MOLECULES
A similar type of 3D homogeneous self-reconfigurable system is the
Molecule. Figure I (d) shows a molecule. Each molecule consists of a pair of two-DOF
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 10/52
atoms, connected by a link (called a bond). By suitably connecting a number of modules
one can form 3D shapes [Rus and McGray, I 9981. Twelve movements of each atom can
perform self- reconfiguration. Independent movement on a substrate of molecules
including straight-line traversal and 90 degrees convex and concave transitions to
adjacent surface can be performed.
Figure (6) MOLECULE
METAMORPHIC
The Metamorphic robotic system was demonstrated by Chirikjian
[Chirikjian, I 994; Pamecha and Chirikjian, I 9961 (see Figure 2(a)’). Each module is a
planar hexagonal shape with three DOFs that can combine with others with varying
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 11/52
geometry. Each module has abilities to connect, disconnect and rotate around its
neighbours. However, it is a limited, planar mechanism.
Figure (7) Metamorphic Module
PROTEO
A metamorphic robot, Proteo, was proposed by Bojinov et al [Bojinov
et aL, 20001. Each module is a rhombic dodecahedron with twelve identical connection
faces which allow other modules to attach.
Figure (8) proteo
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 12/52
Electromagnets are used for module connection. Motion is simply composed of a number
of rotations about the edges of the faces (however, only simulations have been given of
this). This robot consists of compact homogeneous rhombus units. This is an interesting
concept but the use of twelve connecting faces leads to high complexity and high cost.
CRYSTALLINE
The concept of a Crystalline module was described by Rus and Vona
[Rus and Vona, 20001 (see Figure 2(c)). Each module has a square cross-section with a
connection mechanism using channels and rotating keys to lock modules together. A
distributed robotic system is actuated by expanding and contracting each module. Each
module can expand its size by a factor of two from original size.
.
Figure (9) Crystalline
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 13/52
The module has an onboard CPU, Jr communication and power supply .Limited degrees
of freedom were its disadvantage. External connecters are needed for the re-configuration
and the working of the modules
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 14/52
1.3 Comparison of different modules
From the given comparison we can find that fractal robotic module is the
advantageous one. It consists of almost all the advantages of all the modules available.
It consisting of homogeneous 3d modules having 6 degrees of freedom with out fail
safe connecting mechanism.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 15/52
1.4 Fractal Robots
A Fractal Robot physically resembles itself according to the definition
above. The robot can be animated around its joints in a uniform manner. Such robots
can be straight forward geometric patterns/images that look more like natural
structures such as plants. This patented product however has a cubic structure. The
figure below shows a collection of such cubes.
Figure (10) Fracta
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 16/52
Fractal Robots start at one size to which half size or double size cubes
can be attached and to each of these half size/double size cubes can be attached
respectively adinfinitum. This is what makes them fractal. So a fractal cube can be
of
any size. The smallest expected size is between 1000 and 10,000 atoms wide. These
cubes are embedded with computer chips that control their movement.
Figure (10) re-arranging
Thus they can be programmed to configure themselves into any
shape. The implication of this concept is very powerful. This concept can be used to
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 17/52
build buildings, bridges, instruments, tools and almost anything else you can think
of. It can be done with hardly any manual intervention. These robots can assist in
production and manufacture of goods thus bringing down the manufacturing price
down dramatically. We believe that a successful self-reconfigurable modular robot
must be heterogeneous simply because a homogeneous robot whose modules each
contain all of the actuation, sensing, CPU and battery requirements will be
physically too large. In this area, as in many others, it helps to mimic biological
systems and to develop specialized heterogeneous modules.
1.5 Heterogeneous Fractals
A Molecule robot consists of two atoms linked by a rigid connection
called a bond. Each atom has five inter-Molecule connection points and two degrees of
freedom.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 18/52
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 19/52
Figure (11) Male fractum
One degree of freedom allows the atom to rotate 180 degrees relative to its bond
connection, and the other degree of freedom allows the atom (thus the entire
Molecule) to rotate relative 180 degrees relative to one of the inter-Molecule
connectors at a right angle to the bond connection
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 20/52
The leftmost Molecule pair translates to the right of the 4-Molecule structure. The
ability to translate a pair from one side of the structure to the other allows a global
translation of the structure by successive pair translations. For a structure of this size it
is necessary to provide a stabilizing base to which the male Molecules can attach.
Figure (12) Female fractum
This is needed because there are not enough stationary Molecules to provide a stable
structure when certain moves are done by a moving male Molecule (the torque needed
to move a male can tip the structure made up of the other three non-moving units). The
base would not be necessary if we had more units. Note that the speed of this movie
has been increased by a factor of three--normally a gripper connection takes about 15
seconds which makes the movie a bit too tedious to watch in real time...
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 21/52
2. FRACTAL ROBOT MECHANISM
2.1 Simple Construction details
Considerable effort has been taken in making the robotic cubes
as simple as possible after the invention has been conceived. The design is such that
it has fewest possible moving parts so that they can be mass produced. Material
requirements have been made as flexible as possible so that they can be built from
metals and plastics which are cheaply available in industrialized nations but also
from ceramics and clays which are environmentally friendlier and more readily
available in developing nations.
The robotic cubes are assembled from face plates which have been
manufactured and bolted to a cubic frame as illustrated in figure 1.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 22/52
Figure 13 (Cubic structure)
The cube therefore is hollow and the plates have all the mechanisms.
Each of these face plates have electrical contact pads that allow power and data
signals to be routed from one robotic cube to another The plates also have 45 degree
petals that push out of the surface to engage the neighbouring face that allows one
robotic cube to lock to its neighbour. The contact pads could be on the plates
themselves or be mounted separately on a purpose built solenoid operated pad as
shown in figure 2.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 23/52
Figure 14 (Contact pads)
The contact pads are arranged symmetrically around four edges to allow
for rotational symmetry. These contacts are relayed out and only transmit power when
required to do so. If they are operating submerged, the contact pads can be forced into
contact under pressure because of the petals, removing most of the fluid between the gaps
before transmitting power through them.
A 3D rendered image of what the robotic cube looks like in practice is
shown in figure 3.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 24/52
Figure 15 (single cube)
The contact pads are not shown in figure 4. What is shown are four v
shaped grooves running the length of the plate that allow the petals to operate so
that the cubes can lock to each other and also each other using its internal
mechanisms. The cubes have inductive coupling to transmit power and data signals.
This means that there care no connectors on the surface of the robotic cube. If the
connectors are used, wiring problems may follow. Unlike contact pads, inductive
coupling scale very well.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 25/52
2.2 Movement Mechanism
To see the internal mechanisms, we need a cross section of the plate as
illustrated in figure 4.
Figure 16 (Movement mechanism)
The petals are pushed in and out of the slots with the aid of a motor.
Each petal could be directly driven by single motor or they could be driven as a pair
with the aid of a flexible strip of metal. The petals have serrated edges and they
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 26/52
engage into the neighbouring robotic cube through the 45 degree slots. The serrated
edges of the petals are engaged by either a gear wheel or a large screw thread
running the length of the slot which slides the cubes along.
2.3 Implementation of computer control
All active robotic cubes have a limited microcontroller to perform
basic operations such as the communication and control of internal mechanism. The
commands to control a Fractal Robot are all commands for movement such as move
left, right etc and hence the computer program to control the robot is greatly
simplified in that whatever software that is developed for a large scale robot, it also
applies to the smaller scale with no modifications to the command structure.
The largest component of the Fractal Robot system is the software.
Because shape changing robots are fractals, everything around the robot such as
tooling, operating system, software etc must be fractally organized inorder to take
advantage of the fractal operation. Fractal Robot hardware is designed to integrate
as seamlessly with software datastructures as possible. So, it is essential that
unifying Fractal architecture is followed to the letter for compatibility and
interoperability. Fractal architecture dominates the functions of the core of the O.S,
the datastructures, the implementation of the devices etc. Everything that is
available to the O.S is containerized into fractal data structures that permit possible
compatibility and conversion issues possible.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 27/52
2.3.1 Fractal O.S
The Fractal O. S plays a crucial role in making the integration of the
system seamless and feasible. A Fractal O. S uses a no: of features to achieve these
goals.
1. Transparent data communication
2. Data compression at all levels
3. Awareness of built in self repair.
A Fractal O. S coverts fractally written code into machine commands
for movement. The data signals are fed to a bus (fractal bus). The e3lectronics have to
be kept simple so that they can be miniaturized. Towards this end, the Fractal Robot
uses principally state logic. So its internal design consists if ROM, RAM and some
counters.
2.3.2 Fractal Bus
This is an important and pioneering advancement for fractal
computer technology. A Fractal bus permits Hardware and software to merge
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 28/52
seamlessly into one unified datastructure. It helps in sending and receiving fractally
controlled data.
Computer software controls the shaping of objects that are
synthesized by moving cubes around. To reduce the flow of instructions the
message is broadcast to a local machine that controls a small no: of cubes (typically
around 100 cubes). All cubes communicate using a simple no: scheme. Each is
identified in advance and then a no: is assigned. The first time around, the whole
message and the no: is sent but the next time only the no: is sent.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 29/52
3.DATA TRANFER
A CMOS Bluetooth receiver is implemented using a single conversion low-IF
architecture. A IF of 600 KHz is employed to minimize the power dissipation in the
quadrature IF circuitry, which employs switched opamp technique to guarantee the
1-V OPERATION.
REALIZED IN A 0.35-ΜM
CMOS PROCESS (VTN = 0.6V, VTP = -0.77 V) ANDA
SINGLE 1-V SUPPLY, THE
PROPOSED BLUETOOTH
RECEIVER ACHIEVES A
MEASURED IIP3 OF -18
DBM, AN IMAGE
REJECTION OF 28 DB, A
NOISE FIGURE OF 29 DB
AND A SENSITIVITY OF –
70 DBM WHILE
CONSUMING A LOW
POWER DISSIPATION OF10 MW.
3. MOVEMENT ALGORITHMS
There are many mechanical designs for constructing cubes, and cubes
come in different sizes, but the actual movement method is always the same.
Regardless of complexity, the cubes move only between integer positions and only
obey commands to move left, right, up, down, forward and backward. If it can't
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 30/52
perform an operation, it simply reverses back. If it can't do that as well, the software
initiates self repair algorithms.
There are only three basic movement methods.
• Pick and place
• N-streamers
• L-streamers
Pick and place is easy to understand. Commands are issued to a
collection of cubes telling each cube where to go. A command of "cube 517 move
left by 2 positions" results in only one cube moving in the entire machine. Entire
collection of movements needed to perform particular operations are worked out
and stored exactly like conventional robots store movement paths. (Paint spraying
robots use this technique.)
However there are better structured ways to storing movement patterns.
It turns out that all movements other than pick and place are variations of just two
basic schemes called the N-streamer and L-streamer.
N-streamer is easy to understand. A rod is pushed out from a surface,
and then another cube is moved into the vacant position. The new cube is joined to
the tail of the growing rod and pushed out again to grow the rod. The purpose of the
rod is to grow a 'tentacle'. Once a tentacle is grown, other robots can be directed to
it and
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 31/52
move on top of it to reach the other side. For bridge building applications, the
tentacles are grown vertically to make tall posts.
L-streamer is a little more involved to explain and requires the aid of
figure 5. L-streamers are also tentacles but grown using a different algorithm.
Figure 17 (L-streamers single array)
Basically, an L-shape of cubes numbered 4, 5, 6 in figure 2a attached to
a rod numbered 1, 2, 3, and then a new cube 7 is added so that the rod grows by one
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 32/52
cube until it looks like figure 2f. The steps illustrated in figure 2b to 2e can be
repeated to grow the tentacle to any length required.
When large numbers of cubes follow similar paths, common cubes are
grouped into a collection and this collection is controlled with same single commands
(left, right, up, down, forward and backward) as if they were a single cube as
illustrated in figure 6.
Figure 18 (L-streamers multi array)
By grouping cubes and moving them, any structure can be programmed
in and synthesized within minutes. Once the pattern is stored in a computer, that
pattern can be replayed on command over and over again. The effect is somewhat
similar to digitally controlled putty which is as flexible as computer software.
Digitally Controlled Matter Is The Hardware Equivalent Of Computer Software.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 33/52
Tools mounted inside cubes are moved with similar commands. The
commands to operate the tool are stored alongside the cube movement instructions
making the system a very powerful programmable machine.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 34/52
4. SELF REPAIR
There are three different kinds of self repair that can be employed in a
fractal robot. The easiest to implement is cube replacement.
Figures 7 to 10 illustrates some images taken from an animation.
Figure 19 (step 1)
In respect of self repair, the animations show how a walking machine
that has lost a leg rebuilds itself by shifting cubes around from its body. Some of
the intermediate steps are illustrated across figures 2 to 4.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 35/52
Figure 20 (step 2)
Instead of discarding its leg, the robot could
reconfigure into a different walking machine and carry the broken parts with in it.
The faulty parts are moved to places where their reduced functionality can be
tolerated.
Figure 21 (step 3)
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 36/52
Figure 22 (step 4)
Regardless of how many cubes are damaged, with this self repair
algorithm, cubes can detach further and further back to a known working point and
then re-synthesize lost structures. The more cubes there are in the system, the more
likely the system can recover from damage. If too many cubes are involved, then it
will require assistance from a human operator. In such circumstances, the system
will stop until an operator directs it to take remedial actions.
Systems designed with fractal robots have no redundancy despite
having built in self repair. Every cube in a system could be carrying tools and
instrumentation and thus loss of any one cube is loss of functionality. But the
difference in a fractal robot environment is that the cubes can shuffle themselves
around to regain structural integrity despite loss of functionality.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 37/52
In space and nuclear applications (also in military applications), it is
difficult to call for help when something goes wrong. Under those circumstances, a
damaged part can be shuffled out of the way and a new one put in its place under
total automation saving the entire mission or facility at a much lower cost than
simply allowing the disaster to progress. The probability of success is extremely
high in fact. Take for example a triple redundant power supply. Although the
probability of each supply failing is same as the norm for all power supplies of that
type, the chances of more than one failing is very much less. By the time a third
power supply is added the probability becomes miniscule. The same logic applies to
fractal robots when restoring mechanical integrity. Since there are hundreds of
cubes in a typical system, the chance of failure is very remote under normal
circumstances. It is always possible to redundant tools and then functional integrity
can also be restored. This technique gives the highest possible resilience for
emergency systems, space, nuclear and military applications.
There are other levels of repair. A second level of repair involves the
partial dismantling of cubes and re-use of the plate mechanisms used to construct
the cubes. For this scheme to work, the cube has to be partially dismantled and then
re-assembled at a custom robot assembly station. The cubic robot is normally built
from six plates that have been bolted together. To save on space and storage, when
large numbers of cubes are involved, these plates mechanisms can be stacked onto a
conveyor belt system and assembled into the whole unit by robotic assembly station
as notionally illustrated in figure 11. (By reversing the process, fractal robots can be
dismantled and stored away until needed.)
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 38/52
Here repairing involves the partial dismantling of cubes and re-use of the plate
mechanisms used to construct the cubes. In this scheme conveying of dismantled
cubes are through belts
Figure 23 (Dismantling)
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 39/52
If any robotic cubes are damaged, they can be brought back to the
assembly station by other robotic cubes, dismantled into component plates, tested
and then re-assembled with plates that are fully operational. Potentially all kinds of
things can go wrong and whole cubes may have to be discarded in the worst case.
But based on probabilities, not all plates are likely to be damaged, and hence the
resilience of this system is much improved over self repair by cube level
replacement. The third scheme
for self repair involves smaller robots servicing larger robots. Since the robot is
fractal, it could send some of its fractally smaller machines to affect self repair
inside large cubes.
This form of self repair is much more involved but easy to understand.
If the smaller cubes break, they would need to be discarded - but they cheaper and
easier to mass produce. With large collections of cubes, self repair of this kind
becomes extremely important. It increases reliability and reduces down time. Self
repair strategies are extremely important for realizing smaller machines as the
technology shrinks down to 1 mm and below. Without self repair, a microscope is
needed every time something breaks. Self repair is an important breakthrough for
realizing micro and nanotechnology related end goals.
There is also a fourth form of self repair and that of self
manufacture. It is the ultimate goal. The electrostatic mechanisms can be
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 40/52
manufactured by a molecular beam deposition device. The robots are 0.1 to 1
micron minimum in size and they are small enough and dexterous enough to
maintain the molecular beam deposition device.
5. APPLICATIONS OF FRACTAL ROBOTS
5a. Bridge building
One of the biggest problems in civil engineering is to get enough
bridges built as rapidly as possible for mass transit and rapid development of an
economy. Shape changing robots are ideal for making all manners of bridges from
small to the very largest.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 41/52
Figure (24) Bridge building
.
The bridging technology introduced here can be used to patch up
earthquake damaged bridges, and they can also be used as a means for the shape
changing robot to cross very rough terrain. To grow a suspension bridge, the shape
changing robot grows a bridge by extending a rod and it feeds the rod using the L-
shape streamer from underneath the rod. The bridge assembly machine is built
principally from simple mass manufactured repeating cubes that move under computer
control, and reshape into different scaffolds in a matter of seconds.
5b. Fire fighting
Fire fighting robots need to enter a building through entrances that may
be very small. The machines themselves may be very large and yet they must get
through and once inside, they may have to support the building from collapse.
To a great extent fire fighting is an art and not completely reliant
technology. You need men and machine to salvage the best out of the worst
possible situations and often application of a little common sense is far better than
sending in the big machines. But equally there are times where only machines with
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 42/52
capabilities far beyond what we have today are capable of rescuing a particular
situation. The application of shape changing robots is about those situations.
Entering Buildings
Shape changing robots can enter a building through entrances that are
as small as 4 cubes. Figure 1 below shows what a robot can do to enter a room
through a duct. These shape changing robots could be carrying a fire hose in which
case on entering they can apply the hose immediately. Fractal robot can crawl
through small tunnel carrying usefull devices and an attain any shape on the rough
terrain according to the program.
Medical technology in the future may be applied on the spot to victims
of fire using shape changing robots that are completely integrated into the robot in a
machine that is fundamentally identical to the robot - only fractally smaller.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 43/52
Figure (25) Entering a terrain
Only a shape changing robot with fractal fingers and fractal tools can
sift through the rubble without disturbing it further to search for survivors and bring
them out alive. Using conventional methods, you always run the risk of trampling
over someone with your equipment or loosening something that leads to further
disturbance.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 44/52
5c. Defense technology
The use of new technology of fractal shape changing robots in defense
applications is going to completely change the way warfare is conducted in the next
millennium.
The machines even at the slow speeds shown in animated figure above
can dodge incoming shells at 2 km distance by opening a hole in any direction. While
most tanks and aircraft need to keep a 4 km distance from each other to avoid being
hit, this machine can avoid being hit and return fire inside 2 km,
Figure (26) Defense technology
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 45/52
While carrying a formidable array of fractal weapons integrated into a
true multi-terrain vehicle, making them totally lethal to any passing war fighters,
aircraft, tanks, and armoured personnel carriers; surviving shelling, rockets and
missiles. As the technology moves on to hydraulic & pneumatic technology, shell
avoidance is feasible at practically point blank range.
Nothing survives on extended warranties in a battlefield. With self
repair , these immortal machines are no match for state of the art research directions
in present day military robotic systems, which are mere toys in comparison.
5d. Earth Quake Applications:
Once a building is damaged by earthquakes, the terrain inside (and
outside) the building is completely undefined. You need true multi-terrain vehicles
with walking abilities that can transform interchangeably into crawling machines to
get past obstacles and reach the buildings and structures that need to be repaired.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 46/52
Figure (27) Shape before entering
You need fire fighting robots to fight fires, you medical robots to look after the injured
and you need that same machine to become the machines that will enter the buildings,
erect support structures and prevent it from collapsing. Figure 15 and 16 below show
how a very large shape changing robot can enter a building through a narrow window
and rebuild itself one on the other side.
Figure 16 shows the reconfiguration of robot after entering the unknown terrain
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 47/52
Figure (28) After re-configuration
5e. Medical Applications
A fractal robot system with 1 mm cubes can squirt into the human
body through a 2 mm pin hole and rebuild itself inside the body into surgical
instruments and perform the operation without having to open up the patient (figure
1). A size 1 mm is just adequate for nearest point of entry into the site of injury
from the surface to perform very complicated surgery to remove cancers, cysts,
blood clots and stones. The machine reaches its objective from nearest geometric
point of entry by threading itself past major blood vessels or pinching and severing
them if they are not for negotiation. The smaller the machines the more readily it
can be used to directly operate from the nearest entry point with the least amount of
wounding to the patient.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 48/52
Thus a fractal machine is needed to deal with a fractal wound. The
faster the machines operate all around the body, the more likely the patient can
survive the damage.
Figure (29) Fractal surgeon
In normal use, this machine must be able to drain bad blood and fluids,
detect and remove all foreign objects that have entered the body, sew up minor
wounds after cleaning and medicating them, sew together blood vessels and nerve
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 49/52
bundles using microsurgery methods before sealing major wounds, move shattered
bone fragments inside the body and hold them in position for a few days while it
sets back, and when necessary, perform amputations that involves cutting through
flesh and bone. This surgical robot as described is called a Fractal Surgeon.
5f. Space Exploration
Space is probably one of the best application areas for fractal robots
because of its cheapness, built in self repair and 100% automation possibilities.
Figure (30) Space exploration
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 50/52
Space is extremely expensive and if things go wrong and there is
nowhere to turn for help. Using fractal robots it is possible to build anything from
space stations to satellite rescue vehicles without any human intervention.
6. LIMITATIONS
• Technology is still in infancy
• Current cost is very high ($1000 per cube for the 1st generation of cubes,
after which it will reduce to $100 or so).
• Needs very precise & flexible controlling software.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 51/52
7. CONCLUSION
It may take about 4-5 years for this technology to be introduced and
tried out all over the world. But once the first step is taken and its advantages well
understood it will not take much time for it to be used in our everyday life. Using
Fractal Robots will help in saving economy; time etc and they can be used even for
the most sensitive tasks. Also the raw materials needed are cheap, making it
affordable for developing nations also. This promises to revolutionize technology in
a way that has never been witnessed before.
8/8/2019 Upload File Seminar
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/upload-file-seminar 52/52
8. REFERENCE
All the information about the matter has been collected from the following
sites:
http://www.seminartopicsonline.com
• http://www.fractal-bus.co.uk
• http://wikipedia.org
• http;//www.seminartpicsonline.com
• http://seminarsonly.com