SnackBot: A modular miniature robot design and simulation

Abstract

Modular robots carry the unique advantage of changing their shape according to different tasks and environments. In order to study the lightweight and flexible combination characteristics of modular robots, this paper presents a two-degree-of-freedom pluggable modular robot and its simulation method, named SnackBot. SnackBot is composed of several independently operating modules. Each module contains a control unit, a micro battery, and two DC motors that drive the module joints. In order to predict robot actions and monitor the state of the robot, the simulation model of SnackBot is built and a virtual environment is established in Ignition Gazebo. The virtual robot and physical robot are synchronously controlled in the environment of the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2). Finally, experimental results verify the feasibility of the SnackBot.