World’s first modular robot system

14th July 2016
Posted By : Anna Flockett
World’s first modular robot system

Architectural designer Philip started to develop a superior construction toy for his children, when it unpredictably resulted in the world’s first modular multi-functional robot system. A robot can traditionally handle one task at a time, but it is an unknown area as to happens when the working environment demands multiple tasks.

Instead of enduring multiple different robots, dealing with multiple different companies, using multiple different interfaces, with multiple different support teams and multiple different contracts, Philip, with maxon motor designed one robot, an intelligent mobile machine, that can be modularly configured to do multiple tasks.

Philip’s company, Ross Robotics, specialises in building UGV’s that replace people where they shouldn’t or can’t work. Unmanned robots are ideal for dull, dirty and dangerous tasks.

They are deployed in settings such as:

  • Inspection and survey of pipes and sewers
  • Emergency relief services
  • Oil & gas platforms
  • Nuclear research & decomissioning
  • Security & policing
  • Mining
  • Bomb disposal

Back in 2010, Philip was looking for a DC motor that was easy to drive at a low speed, had a high torque and importatly was of a certain size because of the small space envelope they had. “We enjoy working with maxon, they are always happy to help.”

The company prides itself on producing easy to use unmanned vehicles that customers can devise themselves depending on their requirement. Useability is key. Instead of the usual two-dimensional modularity, the unique design has three dimensional modularity. This means each part connects with many other parts in many ways.

Some of the distinctive features are:

  • The modules can be effortlessly swapped out, enabling the robot to perform many different functions. The sockets have power and data.
  • In the event of a technical failure, fresh modules can be substituted instantly to keep equipment running 24/7
  • The tyres are easily changed for different terrains. It is even possible to drive vertically with a payload.
  • The machines are built in plastic and metalised or demetalised as required, The plastic parts are specifically designed so they do not wear when metalised.
  • They are tool free, super lightweight and easy to carry
  • The robots are intelligent, with an application program interface (API) that reconfigures itself based on the connecting modules.
  • The connectors have axial repositioning and can connect orthogonally.
  • The robots run on lithium batteries so if a robot needs to travel a long way, the base deck is just made larger and more batteries are added.
  • The base deck is a standard panel made from carbon fibre composite.
  • The driving performance is incredibly accurate and can go from a crawl to a sprint.

The robots are extremely resilient and designed to perform in unstructured environments, to avoid obstacles, to react to unpredictable events and cope with vibration, dust and radiation. It is these characteristics that have brought the company to the attention of CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, the EDEN project at Chernobyl, the security forces, first responders and the emergency services.

Ross Robotics has a collaborative parternship with CERN. CERN has over 50k of tunnels and the mobile machine is used for inspection. It has to be non-magnetic as the radiation reaches four Tesla and has to cope with spikes of magnetic flux. CERN have developed their own artificial intelligence for the rovers, including highly resilent Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM).

At Chenobyl the modular robotic delivery platform used sensors to map the area. After a long day’s work it took a conventional robot rover two hours to be decontaminated, which involved taking every single element apart and carefully and meticulously removing radiation. It took the Ross Robotics rover only 15 minutes.

For future designs the company take a lot of inspiration from living creatures, Philip concluded. “Look at arthropods, they are the most successful creatures on the planet. They are adaptable, with flexible structures and everything is compliant, very much like our modular robots.”


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