Winfree-Model-Type Synchronization Control for Swimming Modular Robot Through Physical Interaction

This paper proposes a Winfree-model-type synchronization control method for a swimming modular robot. In addition to reconfigurability, fault tolerance, robustness, and adaptability are crucial characteristics for modular robots. Self-organization phenomena arising from physical interactions play an important role in achieving these capabilities. Building on the Winfree synchronization model, we develop a Winfree-model-type synchronization control approach and apply it to a swimming modular robot inspired by Volvocine algae. We experimentally verify that this method enables self-organized synchronization through physical interactions and contributes to stabilizing the posture of the robot colony. Furthermore, we demonstrate the fault tolerance of the system through experiments in which one module in the colony ceases operation. Extending the interaction-based philosophy demonstrated by TEGOTAE controllers to swimming modular robots, our proposed Winfree-type scheme functions independently of specific structural assumptions.