Configuring Field-Programmable Robot Arrays

Field-Programmable Robot Arrays (FPRAs) are MEMS micro-robots with programmable logic that can dock with other robots to make a larger digital structure. Each robot begins with a configuration for a motion algorithm, which is discarded after it reaches the desired target site. The programmable logic is reconfigured to create part of the target logic. Other papers have suggested onboard motion and docking are feasible, but no one has described in detail the logical and algorithmic design for FPRA reconfiguration. Assuming docked robots share two-bit input and output ports, one bit may reconfigure a robot using an asynchronous protocol provided by another robot. Reusing configurations allows a master to download desired goal configurations, analogous to configuring an FPGA. Two reconfiguration approaches are considered: multi-configuration using O(2ⁿ)-time and single configuration using either O(n²)-or O(n)-time.