a piece of paper can be born an elephant, a heron, a fox, and many other animals using the technique of origami . This Japanese method, which uses creases, folds and pleats to create everything, inspired a technological leap in robotics worthy of a world of Transformers robots: a team of scientists invented the first robot that rides alone and in only four minutes and medium, begins to walk. The invention is described today in the journal article Science .
“Our goal was to produce a complex machine that could ride by herself and then started to work without any human support,” explains Sam Felton, one of the authors, Harvard University, USA. This robot part of a two-dimensional basis, a single sheet made of layers of different materials with two batteries. The leaf will be doubling alone like a origami , to come alive with legs and body, and start walking.
“Production conventional [robotics] requires expensive machinery, and 3D printing is too slow for mass production, but the composite plans can be built quickly with tools that are not expensive like laser chemical thinning tanks machines [cutting] and, and that can be folded into functional machines “, explains the researcher, in a statement. “These manufacturing methods would be ideal to produce 100 to 1000 units.”
Is this sheet or composite plan that is the secret of this robot. The sheet consists of five thin juxtaposed layers: two outer layers of a polymer of “memory”, two internal layers of paper and the innermost layer of all, made of artificial resin
To make a fold, it is necessary that only one of the layers polymer “memory” is heated. The other polymer layer and paper layer are opposite to the heated layer being cut along the same line of electric resistances. Thus, the resistances of the layers will heat the polymer “memory” that contracts and so pulls both the paper layer immediately below the layer as artificial resin, forcing them to bow.
There are still lines in which all layers are cut off except the middle one. These lines act as the hinges of future robot origami , can bend both ways. With creases, the hinges and leaf cuts five layers (which is also “unnerved” with electronic circuits), researchers have a robot ready to come alive.
Then just plug the battery to the engine. Within seconds, the electrical resistance heat, and a pre-defined order, certain regions of the leaf begin to bend with the delicacy of a origami self-organized. The first folds define the outer legs of the robot follow the body after the robot stands finally bending the inner legs. Four minutes and thirty seconds later, the robot – about ten inches wide – starts to walk fearlessly and go to your life. Per second, walk 5.4 cm, or 190 meters per hour.
“Getting a robot that autonomously lot and that, in fact, get to work is a March we’re looking for for years, “notes Rob Wood, a professor at Harvard University and one of the study authors said in a statement. “The folding avoids the use of nuts and bolts, which typically applied in robotics and other electromechanical instruments, and allows to integrate (electronic, sensors, actuators) components in a system plan,” says the researcher, pointing out the advantages.
Your robot helper
For the team, this system allows the production of robots with complex shapes and even can build up on a small satellites in this way. But the technology can also be used to rescue people buried, e.g. missions, enabling robots are mounted alone in tight spaces. Or can also be applied in furniture that riding alone, a dream of anyone moving house.
In the case of this robot, the composite sheet with electrical components took only two hours to be made. According to scientists, these robot costs about 75 euros all inclusive or 15 euros without motors, batteries and microcontrollers.
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