@Article{yoshida:ar:1999, author = {Yoshida, Eiichi and Murata, Satoshi and Kurokawa, Haruhisa and Tomita, Kohji and Kokaji, Shigeru}, title = {A Distributed Method for Reconfiguration of 3-D Homogeneous Structure}, journal = {Advanced Robotics}, year = {1999}, volume = {13}, number = {4}, pages = {363--380}, month = {January}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.1998.727306}, url = {https://staff.aist.go.jp/e.yoshida/papers/adv-robo99.pdf}, keywords = {3-D Self-reconfigurable Structure, Modular Robots, Distributed Algorithm}, abstract = {A distributed reconfiguration method is proposed for a 3-D reconfigurable structure, com- posed of many identical mechanical units. The method aims to enable the structure to transform itself into desired structure from an arbitrary initial configuration. The proposed method is im- plemented in such a way that each unit has identical software as well as hardware, so that any unit can play any role in the system. It is also featured by a stochastic relaxation process, which allows the system to converge to a given target structure by searching for a proper unit motion over many degrees of freedom. Furthermore, the method is extended for the structure to reconfig- ure itself dynamically according to the environment. The effectiveness of the method is confirmed by computer simulations.}, publisher = {TAYLOR \& FRANCIS LTD}, address = {2-4 PARK SQUARE, MILTON PARK, ABINGDON OR14 4RN, OXON, ENGLAND} }