Jan 17, 2020 04:33 AM
https://aeon.co/ideas/robogamis-are-the-...ansformers
EXCERPT: . . . The limitless world seen in movies such as Big Hero 6 (2014), featuring microbots, seemed far away when I realised that there was already a flexible and versatile design platform. This method of taking the same basic component and using it to create many distinct and specific forms has been done for ages. It’s called origami.
Who hasn’t made a paper plane, paper boat or paper crane out of one sheet of paper? Origami is an already existing and highly versatile platform for designers. From a single sheet, one can make multiple shapes and, if you don’t like it, you unfold and fold back again. In fact, mathematics has proven that any 3D form can be made from folding 2D surfaces.
Could this be applied to robotic design? Imagine a robotic module that would use polygon shapes to construct multiple different forms to create many robots for many different tasks. Furthermore, picture having an intelligent sheet that could self-fold into any form it wants, depending on the needs of the environment.
I made my first origami robot, which I called a ‘robogami’, about 10 years ago. It was a simple being, a flat-sheeted robot, which could turn into a pyramid and back into a flat sheet, and then into a space shuttle.
My research, conducted with the help of PhD students and a postdoc researcher, has advanced since then, and a new robogami generation is now seeing the light of day. This new generation of robogamis serves a purpose: for example, one of them can navigate through different terrains autonomously. On dry and flat land, it can crawl. If it suddenly meets rough terrain, it will start to roll, activating a different sequence of actuators. Furthermore, if it meets an obstacle, it will simply jump over it! It does this by storing energy in each of its legs, then releasing it and catapulting itself like a slingshot.
They could even attach and detach, depending on the environment and task. Instead of being a single robot that is specifically made for one single task, robogamis are designed and optimised to multitask from scratch.
This is an example of a single robogami. But imagine what many robogamis could do as a group. They could join forces to tackle more complex tasks. Each module, either active or passive, could assemble to create different shapes. And not only that, by controlling the folding joints, they can attack diverse tasks in changing environments. For example, think about outer space where the conditions are unpredictable. A single robotic platform that can transform to do multitasks can increase the mission’s probability of success.
Robogami design owes its drastic geometric reconfigurability to two main scientific breakthroughs. One is its layer-by-layer 2D manufacturing process: multiples of functional layers of the essential robotic components (ie, microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, circuits, and even batteries) are stacked on top of each other. The other is the design translation of typical mechanical linkages into a variety of folding joints (ie, fixed joint, pin joint, planar, and spherical link).
This means that, instead of focusing just on minimising the size of the joint components, we can actually reduce the number of components when designing robots. We can miniaturise systems with numerous components that require complex assembly and calibrations by making them flat; they can be stacked and still maintain their precision... (MORE - details)
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/YGpBieCrKKQ
EXCERPT: . . . The limitless world seen in movies such as Big Hero 6 (2014), featuring microbots, seemed far away when I realised that there was already a flexible and versatile design platform. This method of taking the same basic component and using it to create many distinct and specific forms has been done for ages. It’s called origami.
Who hasn’t made a paper plane, paper boat or paper crane out of one sheet of paper? Origami is an already existing and highly versatile platform for designers. From a single sheet, one can make multiple shapes and, if you don’t like it, you unfold and fold back again. In fact, mathematics has proven that any 3D form can be made from folding 2D surfaces.
Could this be applied to robotic design? Imagine a robotic module that would use polygon shapes to construct multiple different forms to create many robots for many different tasks. Furthermore, picture having an intelligent sheet that could self-fold into any form it wants, depending on the needs of the environment.
I made my first origami robot, which I called a ‘robogami’, about 10 years ago. It was a simple being, a flat-sheeted robot, which could turn into a pyramid and back into a flat sheet, and then into a space shuttle.
My research, conducted with the help of PhD students and a postdoc researcher, has advanced since then, and a new robogami generation is now seeing the light of day. This new generation of robogamis serves a purpose: for example, one of them can navigate through different terrains autonomously. On dry and flat land, it can crawl. If it suddenly meets rough terrain, it will start to roll, activating a different sequence of actuators. Furthermore, if it meets an obstacle, it will simply jump over it! It does this by storing energy in each of its legs, then releasing it and catapulting itself like a slingshot.
They could even attach and detach, depending on the environment and task. Instead of being a single robot that is specifically made for one single task, robogamis are designed and optimised to multitask from scratch.
This is an example of a single robogami. But imagine what many robogamis could do as a group. They could join forces to tackle more complex tasks. Each module, either active or passive, could assemble to create different shapes. And not only that, by controlling the folding joints, they can attack diverse tasks in changing environments. For example, think about outer space where the conditions are unpredictable. A single robotic platform that can transform to do multitasks can increase the mission’s probability of success.
Robogami design owes its drastic geometric reconfigurability to two main scientific breakthroughs. One is its layer-by-layer 2D manufacturing process: multiples of functional layers of the essential robotic components (ie, microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, circuits, and even batteries) are stacked on top of each other. The other is the design translation of typical mechanical linkages into a variety of folding joints (ie, fixed joint, pin joint, planar, and spherical link).
This means that, instead of focusing just on minimising the size of the joint components, we can actually reduce the number of components when designing robots. We can miniaturise systems with numerous components that require complex assembly and calibrations by making them flat; they can be stacked and still maintain their precision... (MORE - details)