arXiv:2607.07281cs.ROnlin.AO2026-07

用可编程图结构让微型机器人自组织运动,抗故障还省通信。

Programmable Synchronization Graphs for Adaptive and Fault-Tolerant Modular Miniature Robots

  • 每个模块当节点,通过图连接实现无主协调
  • 稀疏拓扑仍能保持同步,9个模块实测成功
  • 支持动态调整步态、容忍模块失效,适合微型集群

模块化微型机器人可在受限环境中提供可扩展功能,但在计算、通信和可靠性受限时,协调大量不完美模块仍具挑战。核心难题在于无需指定领导者、固定步态或密集通信即可协调多个执行器-传感器模块。本文提出一种可编程同步图框架:每个执行器-传感器对作为网络节点,运动协调通过图耦合编码。内部子图链接同步异构执行器组,少量带符号的跨子图链接可编程各组间的相位关系。在最多九个模块的物理机器人集体中,图耦合驱动同步涌现,符号链接可将相位差从同相调至反相;五模块系统在地面实验中产生类似跳跃和踏步的接触模式。将密集全连接替换为稀疏d-regular拓扑,在降低耦合负担的同时维持同步。该图表示还具备容错能力:图度越高,越能容忍模块失效而不失同步。此外,基于置信上界(UCB)的边选择算法可学习跨子图链接,使系统趋向目标相位状态。在独立失效测试中,该图控控制器避免了中心化领导-追随控制特有的失败模式,最坏相位误差降低约三倍。结果表明,可编程网络拓扑是模块化微型机器人中用于步态相位编程、在线适应与单元丢失鲁棒性的紧凑控制层。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Modular miniature robots could provide scalable function in constrained environments, but coordinating many imperfect modules remains difficult when computation, communication and reliability are limited. A central robotics challenge is to coordinate many actuator-sensor modules without assigning a privileged leader, prescribing a fixed gait template, or relying on dense communication. Here we introduce a programmable synchronization-graph framework for modular miniature robots in which each actuator-sensor pair is represented as a network node and locomotor coordination is encoded through graph coupling. Fixed intra-subgraph links synchronize heterogeneous actuator groups, whereas a small number of signed inter-subgraph links program phase relationships between groups. In physical robot collectives with up to nine modules, graph coupling drives the emergence of synchronization, signed links tune the phase difference from in-phase to out-of-phase motion, and floor experiments produce gallop-like and trot-like contact patterns in a five-module robot assembly. Replacing dense all-to-all coupling with sparse d-regular topologies preserves synchronization while reducing the coupling burden. The same graph representation also captures fault tolerance: increasing graph degree increases the number of module deactivations tolerated before desynchronization. Finally, an upper-confidence-bound edge-selection algorithm learns inter-subgraph links that drive the system toward target phase states. In a separate deactivation benchmark, the graph-based controller avoids the leader-specific failure mode observed in centralized leader-follower control and reduces worst-case phase error by about threefold. These results establish programmable network topology as a compact control layer for gait phase programming, online adaptation and robustness to unit loss in modular miniature robots.

模块化机器人同步图自组织容错控制

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