{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T09:59:15Z","timestamp":1777715955255,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2009,11,13]],"date-time":"2009-11-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1258070400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["The International Journal of Robotics Research"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2010,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>External actuation in self-reconfigurable modular robots promises to allow modules to shrink down in size. Synchronous external motions promise to allow fast convergence and assembly times. XBot is a modular system that uses synchronous external actuation, but has a limited range of reachable configurations stemming from a single motion primitive of a module rotating about another. This paper proposes to extend the motion primitives by using moves with two modules swinging in a dynamic chain. The feasibility of these motion primitives is proven experimentally. A parameterization of the external actuation motion profiles is explored to define a space of physically valid motion profiles. The larger the space, the more robust the motion primitives will be to inexact initial conditions and to imprecision in the external actuation mechanisms. In addition, this paper proves that a configuration of XBot meta-modules can reach any configuration using just these motion primitives.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0278364909351942","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2009,11,13]],"date-time":"2009-11-13T20:35:00Z","timestamp":1258144500000},"page":"598-612","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":19,"title":["Reliable External Actuation for Full Reachability in Robotic Modular                 Self-reconfiguration"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"29","author":[{"given":"P.J.","family":"White","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics Department at the University                         of Pennsylvania,,"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"M.","family":"Yim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics Department at the University                         of Pennsylvania, 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