# Reconfiguration Algorithms for Cubic Modular Robots with Realistic Movement Constraints

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15724 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.15724/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 24 May 2024.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Reconfiguration of pivoting cube ensembles under local sensing constraints using geometric deep learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.03140/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We introduce and analyze a model for self-reconfigurable robots made up of unit-cube modules. Compared to past models, our model aims to newly capture two important practical aspects of real-world robots. First, modules often do not occupy an exact unit cube, but rather have features like bumps extending outside the allotted space so that modules can interlock. Thus, for example, our model forbids modules from squeezing in between two other modules that are one unit distance apart. Second, our model captures the practical scenario of many passive modules assembled by a single robot, instead of requiring all modules to be able to move on their own. We prove two universality results. First, with a supply of auxiliary modules, we show that any connected polycube structure can be constructed by a carefully aligned plane sweep. Second, without additional modules, we show how to construct any structure for which a natural notion of external feature size is at least a constant; this property largely consolidates forbidden-pattern properties used in previous works on reconfigurable modular robots.