Self‐Reconfiguring Modular Robotic Boats

Self‐Reconfiguring Modular Robotic Boats | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Self‐Reconfiguring Modular Robotic Boats Wei Wang, Niklas Hagemann, Alejandro Gonzalez-Garcia, Carlo Ratti, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6942560/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Self-reconfigurable aquatic robots offer promising potential for a wide range of marine applica-tions, including building temporary infrastructure, environmental monitoring, and on-demand transportation. However, achieving autonomous water-based self-reconfiguration, even in two di-mensions on the water surface, remains challenging, due to complex nonlinear hydrodynamics, disturbances from self-motion and neighboring robots, as well as external environmental factors. Here, we present the FloatForm platform, a group of miniature modular robotic boats, capable of self-assembling into physically connected structures, self-reconfiguring, and collectively traveling as larger assemblies via a hybrid coordination framework. Each robot unit is equipped with onboard sensing, motion control, and the ability to coordinate and physically latch with its neigh-bors. We demonstrate the feasibility of parallel self-reconfiguration, where distributed controllers on each robot handle coordination tasks such as aggregating into desired shapes and avoiding col-lisions, while a minimalist central planner oversees the overall success of each task and fixes im-perfections. This work advances the design, control, and coordination of modular robotic systems in aquatic environments, paving the way for flexible, robust and scalable applications on the water. Physical sciences/Engineering/Mechanical engineering Physical sciences/Engineering/Electrical and electronic engineering Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files FloatFormSI.pdf Supplementary Information for "Self‐Reconfiguring Mod-1 ular Robotic Boats" S1.mp4 Motion Demonstration S2.mp4 Latching Mechanism S3.mp4 Self-Assembly and Reconfiguration with Four Modules S4.mp4 Self-Assembly, Reconfiguration, and Collective Transport with Eight Modules Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6942560","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":479116562,"identity":"db2fff90-7fe4-435a-96d5-7dd03c79a628","order_by":0,"name":"Wei 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