Date Approved

6-30-2025

Embargo Period

6-30-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. Mechanical Engineering

Department

Mechanical Engineering

College

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering

Advisor

Mitja Trkov, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Wei Xue, Ph.D.

Committee Member 2

Smitesh Bakrania, Ph.D.

Committee Member 3

Hong Zhang, Ph.D.

Keywords

Configuration Identification;Intermodule Communication;Modular Soft Robotics;Reconfigurable Actuators;Task-Adaptive Configuration;Transition System Modeling

Disciplines

Engineering | Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

Modular, self‑reconfigurable soft robots promise unprecedented versatility by combining the compliance of soft materials with the adaptability of modular architectures. This thesis presents an integrated system of pneumatic, bending-type soft actuator modules. Modules are compact and fully equipped with tunable magnetic and electromechanical connections for low‑power attachment and detachment and a novel power-air-communication (PAC) connector for seamless sharing of electricity, compressed air, and digital signals. This work examines two representative assemblies: ManusBot, a pinching gripper, and TendrilBot, a versatile linear configuration for various tasks. Their grasping performance, variable stiffness, and radial support capabilities are characterized. A magnetic interlock and an electromechanical CastleLock provide reversible, robust connections, and the PAC interface eliminates most external tubing and wiring. To enable autonomous self‑reconfiguration, module adjacencies are encoded in a transition system and a novel a model‑checking framework was developed that for a desired reconfiguration state, determines if it can be safely achieved and returns a path at the planning level. We validate the complete system through experiments in grasping, locomotion, stiffness modulation, and closed‑loop self‑reconfiguration across diverse configurations. The results of this thesis and the works therein demonstrate a scalable platform for adaptive, multi-functional soft robots capable of on‑demand morphology changes, paving the way toward deployable, task-flexible robotic systems in unstructured environments.

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