A cooperative network of reconfigurable stair-climbing robots

The work area of a team of small robots is limited by their inability to traverse a very common obstacle: stairs. We present a complete integrated control architecture and communication strategy for a system of reconfigurable robots that can climb stairs. A modular robot design is presented which allows the robots to dynamically reconfigure to traverse certain obstacles. This work investigates the implementation of a system of autonomous robots which can cooperatively reconfigure themselves to collectively traverse obstacles such as stairs. We present a complete behavior and communication system which facilitates this autonomous reconfiguration. The behavior and communication systems are validated by implementing them on a mobile robot platform synthesized specifically for this research. Experimental trials showed that the implementation of the behavior control systems was successful. Several successful stair climbing trials were accomplished. Improvements to the mechanical design are proposed