Programmable materials

Details Programmable materials Programmable materials

1996-12-11

2000-12-05

Grant, William

Data processing: generic control systems or specific application

Specific application, apparatus or process

Robot control

700248, 901 6, G05B 1904

Patent

active

06157872&

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a programmable material.
Traditionally, machines and engineering structures have been constructed from parts each designed to perform a specific function at a specific position in a machine or structure. Such an approach limits the usefulness of the parts in other machines or structures.
The present invention reflects a very different approach to the design and construction of machines and structures.
The invention provides a machine of substantially parallelepiped shape, having means for so interacting with identical machines as to cause relative transport of them and the machine, and means for interacting with identical machines so as to secure the machine in position relative to them.
The machine is of substantially parallelepiped shape so that rows, sheets and blocks of closely spaced, or adjacent identical machines can be formed. They are also of that shape so that a machine may move or be moved over such a row or sheet while keeping one of its faces parallel and close to or adjacent to the exposed faces of the machine of the row or sheet. Clearly the machine may depart from an exactly parallelepiped shape by the removal of parts of its faces not needed for interacting with neighboring machines.
The machine may be responsive to external signals communicated to it so as to effect the transport and securing.
Additionally or alternatively, the machine may incorporate a computer and be responsive to signals generated by that computer so as to effect the transport and securing.
The securing means or the transporting means or both may comprise electromagnets.
The transporting means or securing means or both may comprise mechanical parts or features on the machine that interlock with complementary parts or features on identical machines.
The transporting means may comprise mechanical parts or features on the machine that can be caused to interlock with complementary parts or features on an identical machine in such a manner as to allow relative motion of the machines along particular axes. Those parts or features may be arranged to provide two or more independently engageable interlocks between the machine and an identical machine, each of which allows relative motion of the two machines only along a respective one of two or more different axes.
The interlocking parts or features may comprise a member extensible from the machine into a recess or groove in an identical machine, the member incorporating extensible wedges for locking the member in the recess or groove.
The interlocking parts or features may comprise pairs of members, the members of a pair being extensible from a face of the machine, in different directions at an angle to the normal to that face, into respective ones of a pair of recesses or grooves in a face of an identical machine.
The interlocking parts or features may comprise pairs of members, each member of a pair being mounted to pivot between a withdrawn position and an extended position. Advantageously, the members of a pair receive at their withdrawn positions, in respective grooves in the members, respective ones of a pair of opposing lips from an identical machine.
The machine may comprise a plurality of studs on a face of the machine engageable with a neighbouring identical machine so as to locate it in position, the studs being retractable so as to release the neighboring machine.
The studs may be engageable with interlocking mechanical parts or features of the neighboring machine.
The studs may be depressible by an identical machine that is advancing to become such a neighboring machine.
The machine may be of substantially cuboid shape, which is preferably a cube.
The machine may have four means on each face of the machine for communicating power or data with neighbouring identical machines, those means being located in the same positions on each face and being so located either on each of the diagonal center lines or on each of the orthogonal center lines of each face as to preserve the four-fold rotational symmetry of the face.
Additionally or al

REFERENCES:
patent: 4608525 (1986-08-01), Mori et al.
patent: 4664590 (1987-05-01), Maekawa
patent: 4940925 (1990-07-01), Wand et al.
patent: 5081593 (1992-01-01), Pollack
patent: 5210821 (1993-05-01), Yazaki et al.

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