Origami robot folds itself up and walks away

This origami robot made almost entirely of laser cut parts can fold itself up and crawl away.

Researchers recently revealed their latest robot in the journal Science that can fold itself up and crawls away once batteries are attached to it, according to a report by MIT News.

“The exciting thing here is that you create this device that has computation embedded in the flat, printed version,” says Daniela Rus, an electrical engineering and computer science lecturer at MIT. “When these devices lift up from the ground into the third dimension, they do it in a thoughtful way.”

The robot is made form five layers of materials, all cut according to digital specifications. The middle layer is copper is sandwiched between paper layers and the outer layer is a shape-memory polymer that folds when heated.

The two motor design allows each motor to control two of the legs and are synchronised by a microprocessor.

“If you have a hollow-shell structure, then you have something that is very strong and very lightweight," said Ronald Fearing a professor at the University of California.

"If you put motors on there, you end up with a robot that is very powerful for its weight, so you start to be able to take advantage of things like you see with insects carrying so many times their weight. Folding, I think, is a good way to get to the smaller robots.”