About the Project
Biological systems develop organised structures through interactions among many small components. Can we use comparable principles to create robotic systems that assemble themselves, change shape and acquire useful functions?
This project will investigate bio-inspired self-assembly using miniature robotic modules and smart materials. It builds on the Sheffield Microrobotics Lab's work on Roblets: modules that self-assemble into planar structures and subsequently fold into three-dimensional robots. The aim is to understand how local interactions, module geometry and environmental inputs can produce reliable structures and collective behaviour.
The central research question is how to design the components and interaction rules so that a desired function emerges from the assembly process. Rather than specifying every assembly action individually, the project will explore how information embedded in module shape, bonding interfaces or material responses can guide formation and transformation.
Possible research directions include designing complementary interfaces for selective bonding; improving assembly pathways and correcting unwanted connections; coordinating self-assembly with self-folding; and incorporating sensing or actuation to enable assembled structures to respond to their surroundings. Biological ideas such as selective recognition, development and adaptation will provide inspiration for mechanisms that can be tested quantitatively on an engineering platform.
The student may use computational models, physical simulation or optimisation to study the relationship between component design and system behaviour. Experimental work may involve CAD, 3D printing, smart materials and magnetic actuation. Designs will be evaluated through assembly success, formation time, structural accuracy and the functionality of the resulting robot. A specific demonstrator, such as an assembled structure capable of locomotion or an environmental response, will provide a focus for the research.
The project can be tailored to students interested in mechanical design, materials, modelling or collective robotics. It offers the opportunity to investigate fundamental questions about self-organisation while developing practical methods for constructing robots from interacting components.
The project will be based in the Sheffield Microrobotics Lab in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Sheffield.
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Funding Notes
Available for externally funded and self-funded students.
Applicants with a background in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, computer science, physics, materials science, bioengineering or a related discipline are encouraged to apply. An interest in self-assembly and interdisciplinary research is essential. Experience in modelling, simulation, optimisation, CAD, fabrication or smart materials would be beneficial. Both experimental and computational approaches are welcome.