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Untethered control of functional origami microrobots with distributed actuation
Larissa S Novelino1, Qiji Ze2, Shuai Wu2
1School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332.
Summary
Researchers developed a novel magnetic control system for origami structures, enabling untethered, fast, and programmable shape changes. This innovation unlocks new possibilities for origami robots and adaptive materials.
Area of Science:
- Origami engineering
- Materials science
- Robotics
Background:
- Origami assemblies offer deployability, multifunctionality, and tunability.
- Effective actuation is crucial for origami functionality but current methods are limited.
- Existing actuators are often slow, tethered, or bulky.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce an untethered magnetic control system for origami.
- To enable local/distributed actuation with controllable speed.
- To broaden the applications of origami designs.
Main Methods:
- Coupling the bistable Kresling pattern's geometry and mechanics with a magnetically responsive material.
- Utilizing magnetic fields for untethered actuation.
- Demonstrating multimodal actuation of multicell assemblies.
Main Results:
- Achieved untethered and local/distributed actuation with controllable speed (as fast as 0.1 seconds).
- Enabled instantaneous shape locking and on-the-fly programmability of unit cells.
- Showcased Kresling assemblies for tunable physical properties and digital computing.
Conclusions:
- Magnetic control offers a versatile actuation strategy for origami.
- This system facilitates advanced origami-inspired robots, morphing structures, and metamaterials.
- The developed magnetic origami systems enable multifunctional devices with multiphysics responses.
