Design of a miniature switchable connection system for stochastic modular robots

This paper presents the design and implementation of a MIniature SwitchAble (MISA) connection system for stochastic modular robots. The MISA connector consists of attaching, aligning, locking, detaching and holding mechanisms. The connection function can be switched on and off by controlling shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators. Furthermore, it possess functions of self-attachment and self-alignment through magnetic interaction under random collision condition. The design details and prototype construction are presented. The preliminary experiments and results demonstrate feasibility and performance of this miniature connector. The potential application is to integrate it into modular microrobots.