Foldable Joints for Foldable Robots
Name
jmr_007_02_021012.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
5.44 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
236197e65392ae226e80057689d1dddd
Author(s)
Sung, Cynthia
Rus, Daniela
Date Issued
2015
Journal
Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics
Publisher
ASME International
Citation
Sung, C., and D. Rus. "Foldable Joints for Foldable Robots." Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics 7 2 (2015).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Print-and-fold manufacturing has the potential to democratize access to robots with robots that are easier to fabricate using materials that are easier to procure. Unfortunately, a lack of understanding about how motion can be achieved by folding hinders the scope of print-and-fold robots. In this paper, we show how the basic joints used in robots can be constructed using print-and-fold. Our patterns are parameterized so that users not only get the desired degrees of freedom but can also specify the joint's range of motion. The joints can be combined with each other to achieve higher degrees of freedom or with rigid bodies to produce foldable linkages. We have folded our basic joints and measured their force-displacement curves. We have composed them into joints with higher degrees of freedom and into foldable mechanisms and found that they achieve the expected kinematics. We have also added actuators and control circuitry to our joints and mechanisms, showing that it is possible to print and fold entire robots with many different kinematics using a uniform process.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4029490
