Communication method of cellular robotics CEBOT as a selforganizing robotic system

The Dynamically Rcconflgurablc Robotic System (DRRS) Is u new kind or robotic system whleh Is able to reconflgurate Itself to optimal structure depending on purpose and environment. To realize this concept, we has proposed CEBOT (Cellular Robotics). Communication is needed in CEBOT system as follows: When cells are separated , communication master cell needs to know other cell's function, position and determine the target cell for docking. A mobne cells should be able to coordinate with other mobile cells. When cells are docked, forming cell structure/module, a master cell should control bending joint cell and know of which cells the construction is composed. In this paper, we propose a communication protocol for both cases with optical sensor applicable to CEBOT. Some experimental results are shown by realizing the proposed communication method between cells.