Surrogate Models for Compliant Joints in Programmable Structures

Abstract This work focuses on compliant joints in autonomous cells. These cells are able to preserve the underlying geometry of a mesh and enable self-reconfiguration through the utilization of six-bar linkages. The six-bar linkages, essential for maintaining triangular mesh geometry, are realized as 3D-printable compliant mechanisms. However, challenges arise from compliance in the hinges and deviation from the desired center of rotation which results in positioning errors. To address these issues, a surrogate model which is derived from beam elements, is used to predict positioning errors during self-reconfiguration. Finally, these errors are corrected by solving the inverse kinematics of a hyper-redundant manipulator. Our study illustrates the benefits of utilizing a surrogate model, which reduces computation time compared to beam elements. For the first time, we successfully correct positioning errors within a system of cells.