Modular Robots One of my two major projects at NASA is the development of a modular robotic system. If you're not familiar with modular robotics, you can think of it as a little like Legos for engineers: the idea is to make a number of robot components that can be assembled into any number of different robots. For example, the picture to the right is a four-legged walking robot I assembled using the first version of our modules.

The other photos on this page are of pieces of the second version of the system, which I am currently working on. First is a close-up of the electro-mechanical connector that the modules use to connect to each other, with a quarter in the photo for scale. Our modules are designed for quick reconfiguration by hand using a few thumbscrews. They are also smaller and lighter than any other modular robots that have been built to date. They are made of nickel-plated plastic to keep the weight down and the strength up.

Next up is the camera module, which can transmit video to a basestation for viewing and processing. With this module we can snap together testbeds for visually-guided navigation, as well as visually-guided end-effector placement and a variety of other machine vision problems. This is the biggest advantage to modular robots in the lab: it's easy to assemble whatever kind of robot you need to solve or explore any problem, at no extra cost. The broad range of module types is another thing that sets our system apart from the others.

In addition to legged and snake-like locomotion, which have been the bread and butter of modular robotics until now, our system also includes wheels. The motor and control electronics are all tucked inside the hub of this wheel, making it extremely compact. With wheels, we can build rovers much like those currently exploring Mars, but we are also exploring more advanced robots that can drive efficiently over reasonably flat terrain but then turn into legged robots when the going gets tough.