SOLL-E: A Module Transport and Placement Robot for Autonomous Assembly of Discrete Lattice Structures
Inwon Park, Damiana Catanoso, Olivia Formoso, Christine Gregg, Megan Ochalek, Taiwo Olatunde, Frank Sebastianelli, Pascal Spino, Elizabeth Taylor, Greenfield Trinh, Kenneth Cheung
Abstract
This paper presents the design and development of a transport and placement robot that demonstrates autonomous assembly of structural building blocks. The robots are intended to serve as a critical component of automated structural assembly and maintenance systems. The Scaling Omni-directional Lattice Locomoting Explorer (SOLL-E) uses a 5-DoF bipedal inchworm locomotion architecture with locking foot and cargo grippers. The locomotion system employs large magnet gap diameter BLDC motors with moderate timing belt gearing for primary joints, and DC planetary gearmotors for turning. Foot and cargo grippers are identical, with servo-actuated locking mechanisms. Three modular controller boards are used to control these actuators in real-time, with command and telemetry data transferred between the server and each controller board via WiFi. Functionality and performance were evaluated in a ground demonstration.