Research

Mentor: Jennifer E. Walter
Chair of the Computer Science Department at Vassar College
Email: walter@cs.vassar.edu

Partner: Eli Schutze
Vassar College '12
Email: eliannemsr@gmail.com

Research Topic: Optimally Efficient Goal-filling Algorithms for Self-reconfigurable Hexagonal Metamorphic Robots

Description: We developed an optimal path-finding algorithm that splits the goal configuration into two segments, north and south, and fills the goal cells from left to right with mobile modules. I modularized, organized, and commented a file where we could modify and implement the new goal-filling algorithm. This algorithm uses bridges to fill the goal columns such that there is only one space between each module (which is optimal). We successfully implemented this algorithm such that the bridges are used whether they are needed or not. This way, the algorithm is simpler to code and the amount of steps to simulate this way would be the same as if we used the bridges only when needed.

Research Paper