The intrinsic modularity and reconfigurability of modular reconfigurable robots (MRR) confer advantages such as versatility, fault tolerance, and economic efficacy, thereby showcasing considerable potential across diverse applications. The continuous evolution of the technology landscape and the emergence of diverse conceptual designs have generated multiple MRR categories, each described by its respective morphology or capability characteristics, leading to some ambiguity in the taxonomy. This paper conducts a comprehensive survey encompassing the entirety of MRR hardware and design, spanning from the inception in 1985 to 2023. This paper introduces an innovative, unified conceptual framework for understanding MRR hardware, which encompasses three pivotal elements: connectors, actuators, and homogeneity. Through the utilization of this trilateral framework, this paper provide an intuitive understanding of the diverse spectrum of MRR hardware iterations while systematically deciphering and classifying the entire range, offering a more structured perspective. This survey elucidates the fundamental attributes characterizing MRRs and their compositional aspects, providinig insights into their design, technology, functionality, and categorization. Augmented by the proposed trilateral framework, this paper also elaborates on the trajectory of evolution, prevailing trends, principal challenges, and potential prospects within the field of MRRs.

翻译：模块化可重构机器人（MRR）因其内在的模块化与可重构特性，具备通用性、容错性及经济性等优势，从而在多种应用场景中展现出巨大潜力。随着技术格局的持续演进以及多样概念设计的涌现，MRR被划分为多个类别，每类均基于其形态或功能特性进行描述，导致分类体系存在一定模糊性。本文对MRR硬件与设计领域进行了全面综述，时间跨度从1985年概念提出至2023年。本文提出了一种创新的统一概念框架用于理解MRR硬件，该框架包含三个关键要素：连接器、驱动器和同质性。通过运用这一三边框架，本文直观阐释了MRR硬件迭代的多样性谱系，同时系统性地解读并分类了全部范围，提供了更具结构化的视角。本综述阐明了MRR的基本属性及其组成要素，深入探讨了其设计、技术、功能与分类。借助所提出的三边框架，本文还详述了MRR领域的发展轨迹、当前趋势、主要挑战及潜在前景。