An Untethered Miniature Origami Robot that Self-folds, Walks, Swims, and Degrades
Name
ICRA2015v26Final.pdf
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4.11 MB
Format
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Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Miyashita, Shuhei
Guitron, Steven P.
Ludersdorfer, Marvin
Sung, Cynthia Rueyi
Rus, Daniela L.
Date Issued
May 2015
Journal
Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Robotics and Automation
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Citation
Miyashita, Shuhei, Steven Guitron, Marvin Ludersdorfer, Cynthia R. Sung, and Daniela Rus. "An Untethered Miniature Origami Robot that Self-folds, Walks, Swims, and Degrades." 2015 International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2015.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
A miniature robotic device that can fold-up on the spot, accomplish tasks, and disappear by degradation into the environment promises a range of medical applications but has so far been a challenge in engineering. This work presents a sheet that can self-fold into a functional 3D robot, actuate immediately for untethered walking and swimming, and subsequently dissolve in liquid. The developed sheet weighs 0.31g, spans 1.7cm square in size, features a cubic neodymium magnet, and can be thermally activated to self-fold. Since the robot has asymmetric body balance along the sagittal axis, the robot can walk at a speed of 3.8 body-length/s being remotely controlled by an alternating external magnetic field. We further show that the robot is capable of conducting basic tasks and behaviors, including swimming, delivering/carrying blocks, climbing a slope, and digging. The developed models include an acetone-degradable version, which allows the entire robot’s body to vanish in a liquid. We thus experimentally demonstrate the complete life cycle of our robot: self-folding, actuation, and degrading.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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DOI of Published Version
http://icra2015.org/conference/awards#!cover
