A useful metric for modular robot motion planning

In this paper we examine the problem of dynamic self-reconnguration of a class of modular robotic systems referred to as metamorphic systems. A meta-morphic robotic system is a collection of mechatronic modules, each of which has the ability to connect, disconnect , and climb over adjacent modules. We deene a concept of distance between metamorphic robot con-gurations which satisses the formal properties of a metric. This metric, called the connguration metric is then applied to the automatic self-reconnguration of metamorphic systems from any initial to any nal speciied connguration. The technique of Simulated Annealing is used to drive the re-connguration process with the connguration metric as the cost function. The relative performance of simulated annealing with this cost function is shown to be superior then simulated annealing using other cost functions.