Distributed self-assembly of cantilevers by force-aware robots

Inspired by how ants construct bridges out of their bodies, this paper investigates how a swarm of autonomous robotic agents could self-assemble into cantilevers as a first step towards constructing bridges. Two distributed self-assembly algorithms are presented that consider local force information to ensure links between agents do not break: one in which agents move one at a time, and another where multiple agents move simultaneously. The algorithms are tested in simulation for a variety of allowable link strengths, and are verified to be able to construct cantilevers of a near-optimum length. A slight decrease in cantilever length is observed when multiple agents move concurrently, but construction is completed significantly faster. Prototype hardware to measure the forces in links between real agents is also presented, demonstrating how the concept could be applied to the real world.