Moving Matter: Using a Single, Simple Robot to Reconfigure a Connected Set of Building Blocks

2025/06/29 by Javier G. García, Jonas Friemel, Garcia, Javier +21
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Computer Science · Engineering · #Computational Geometry (cs.CG) #DNA and Biological Computing #Data Structures and Algorithms (cs.DS) #Distributed Control Multi-Agent Systems #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence #Robotics (cs.RO)

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2506.23333

openalex publication_date 2025/06/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We implement and evaluate different methods for the reconfiguration of a connected arrangement of tiles into a desired target shape, using a single active robot that can move along the tile structure. This robot can pick up, carry, or drop off one tile at a time, but it must maintain a single connected configuration at all times. Becker et al. (CCCG 2025) recently proposed an algorithm that uses histograms as canonical intermediate configurations, guaranteeing performance within a constant factor of the optimal solution if the start and target configuration are well-separated. We implement and evaluate this algorithm, both in a simulated and practical setting, using an inchworm type robot to compare it with two existing heuristic algorithms.

Citations

• Efficient Reconfiguration of Tile Arrangements by a Single Active Robot
• Tile Reconfiguration by a Finite Automaton
• Sliding Squares in Parallel
• Reconfiguration Algorithms for Cubic Modular Robots with Realistic Movement Constraints
• Efficient Shape Formation by 3D Hybrid Programmable Matter: An Algorithm for Low Diameter Intermediate Structures
• Decoding Modular Reconfigurable Robots: A Survey on Mechanisms and Design
• Buoyancy enabled autonomous underwater construction with cement blocks
• Reconfiguration of a 2D Structure Using Spatio-Temporal Planning and Load Transferring
• Connected Reconfiguration of Polyominoes Amid Obstacles using RRT*
• Pushing Lines Helps: Efficient Universal Centralised Transformations for\n Programmable Matter
• On the Transformation Capability of Feasible Mechanisms for Programmable\n Matter

Related

• Efficient Reconfiguration of Tile Arrangements by a Single Active Robot
• Connected Assembly and Reconfiguration by Finite Automata
• Similar Part Rearrangement With Pebble Graphs
• Reconfiguration of a 2D Structure Using Spatio-Temporal Planning and Load Transferring
• Connected Reconfiguration of Polyominoes Amid Obstacles using RRT*