The Robot is the Tether: Active, Adaptive Power Routing for Modular Robots With Unary Inter-robot Connectors

@article{karagozler-TCCS12,
  author = {Karagozler, Mustafa Emre and Goldstein, Seth Copen and
     Ricketts, David S.},
  journal = {Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, IEEE Transactions
     on},
  title = {Analysis and Modeling of Capacitive Power Transfer in
     Microsystems},
  year = {2012},
  month = {July},
  volume = {59},
  number = {7},
  pages = {1557 -1566},
  keywords = {Actuation, Adhesion,Power},
  doi = {10.1109/TCSI.2011.2177011},
  issn = {1549-8328},
}

@article{cannon-tranpe09,
  author = {Cannon, Benjamin L. and Hoburg, James F. and Stancil,
     Daniel D. and Goldstein, Seth Copen},
  title = {Magnetic resonant coupling as a potential means for
     wireless power transfer to multiple small receivers},
  year = {2009},
  url = {http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~claytronics/papers/cannon-tranpe09.pdf},
  month = {July},
  volume = {24},
  number = {7},
  journal = {IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics},
  keywords = {Power},
  abstract = {Wireless power transfer via magnetic resonant coupling
     is experimentally demonstrated in a system with a large source
     coil and either one or two small receivers. Resonance between
     source and load coils is achieved with lumped capacitors
     terminating the coils. A circuit model is developed to describe
     the system with a single receiver, and extended to describe the
     system with two receivers. With parameter values chosen to obtain
     good fits, the circuit models yield transfer frequency responses
     that are in good agreement with experimental measurements over a
     range of frequencies that span the resonance. Resonant frequency
     splitting is observed experimentally and described theoretically
     for the multiple receiver system. In the single receiver system
     at resonance, more than 50\% of the power that is supplied by the
     actual source is delivered to the load. In a multiple receiver
     system, a means for tracking frequency shifts and continuously
     retuning the lumped capacitances that terminate each receiver
     coil so as to maximize efficiency is a key issue for future
     work.},
}

@mastersthesis{karagozler-msreport07,
  author = {Karagozler, Mustafa Emre},
  title = {Harnessing Capacitance for Inter-Robot Latching,
     Communication, and Power Transfer},
  venue = {Masters Thesis},
  also = {Electrostatic Latching for Inter-module Adhesion, Power
     Transfer, and Communication in Modular Robots in IROS '07},
  month = {May},
  year = {2007},
  school = {Carnegie Mellon University},
  abstract = {A simple and robust inter-module latch is possibly the
     most important component of a modular robotic system. This report
     describes a latch based on capacitive coupling which not only
     provides significant adhesion forces, but can also be used for
     inter-module power transmission and communication. The key
     insight that enables electrostatic adhesion to be effective at
     the macro scale is to combine flexible electrodes with a geometry
     that uses shear forces to provide adhesion. To measure the
     effectiveness of our latch we incorporated it into a 28cm x 28cm
     x 28cm modular robot. The result is a latch which requires almost
     zero static power and yet can hold over 0.6N/cm2 of latch area.},
  keywords = {Actuation, Adhesion, Power},
  url = {http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~claytronics/papers/karagozler-msreport07.pdf},
}

@mastersthesis{yoon07,
  author = {Yoon, Byung W.},
  title = {Power Delivery Circuit for Scalable Claytronics},
  school = {Carnegie Mellon University, Electrical and Computer
     Engineering},
  year = {2007},
  keywords = {Power},
  month = {August},
}

@inproceedings{campbell05,
  author = {Campbell, Jason D. and Pillai, Padmanabhan and Goldstein,
     Seth Copen},
  title = {The Robot is the Tether: Active, Adaptive Power Routing for
     Modular Robots With Unary Inter-robot Connectors},
  booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots
     and Systems (IROS 2005)},
  venue = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and
     Systems (IROS)},
  pages = {4108--15},
  year = {2005},
  address = {Edmonton, Alberta Canada},
  month = {August},
  keywords = {Power},
  url = {http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~claytronics/papers/campbell05.pdf},
}