Self-Stabilizing Self-Assembly

The emerging field of passive macro-scale tile-based self-assembly (TBSA) shows promise in enabling effective manufacturing processes by harnessing TBSA's intrinsic parallelism. However, current TBSA methodologies still do not fulfill their potentials, largely because such assemblies are often prone to errors, and the size an individual assembly is limited due insufficient mechanical stability. Moreover, instability issue worsens as grow size. Using a novel type magnetically-bonded tiles carried bristle-bot drives, we propose here framework that reverses this tendency; i.e., grows, it becomes more stable. Stability achieved introducing two sets move opposite directions, thus zeroing net force. physics-based computational experiments, compare performance proposed approach with common orbital shaking method, proving system indeed possesses self-stabilizing characteristics. Our enables containing hundreds be built, while inherently few tens tiles. results indicate one primary limitations mechanical, agitation-based approaches, instability, might overcome employing swarm free-running, sensorless mobile robots, herein represented at macroscopic scale.