Princeton and NC State Engineers Create Modular Soft Robot Inspired by Origami

doi:10.5281/zenodo.11549706

Published June 10, 2024 | Version v1

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Princeton and NC State Engineers Create Modular Soft Robot Inspired by Origami

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Engineers from Princeton University and North Carolina State University have successfully combined ancient paper-folding techniques with modern materials science to create a versatile soft robot capable of bending and twisting through mazes with ease.

Soft robots often face challenges in steering due to the rigidity introduced by steering mechanisms, which compromise their flexibility. The new design overcomes these issues by integrating the steering system directly into the robot's body, explained Tuo Zhao, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton.

In a study published on May 6 in the journal PNAS, the researchers detailed their creation of a robot made from modular, cylindrical segments. These segments can function independently or connect to form a longer unit, enhancing the robot's mobility and steering capabilities. This innovative system allows the flexible robot to move forwards and backwards, pick up cargo, and assemble into various formations.

"The concept of modular soft robots can provide insight into future soft robots that can grow, repair, and develop new functions," the authors noted in their article.

Zhao highlighted that the robot's ability to assemble and disassemble on the move enables it to function as a single entity or as part of a swarm.

"Each segment can be an individual unit, and they can communicate with each other and assemble on command," Zhao said. "They can separate easily, and we use magnets to connect them."

Zhao conducts his research in the lab of Glaucio Paulino at the Princeton Materials Institute. Paulino, the Margareta Engman Augustine Professor of Engineering, has extensively explored the application of origami in various engineering fields, from medical devices to aerospace and construction.

"We have created a bio-inspired plug-and-play soft modular origami robot enabled by electrothermal actuation with highly bendable and adaptable heaters," Paulino said. "This is a very promising technology with potential translation to robots that can grow, heal, and adapt on demand."

The robot's design uses cylindrical segments with an origami pattern known as Kresling, which allows each segment to twist into a flattened disk and expand back into a cylinder. This twisting and expanding motion is key to the robot's ability to crawl and change direction. By partially folding a section of the cylinder, the researchers introduced lateral bends that enable directional changes as the robot moves.

Developing a mechanism to control the bending and folding was a significant challenge, solved by researchers at North Carolina State University. They combined liquid crystal elastomer and polyimide, two materials that respond differently to heat, into thin strips along the Kresling pattern's creases. A stretchable heater made from a silver nanowire network was added along each fold. By applying electrical current to the nanowire heater, the control strips are heated, causing them to fold and bend the robot's segments.

"Silver nanowire is an excellent material to fabricate stretchable conductors. Here we used the stretchable heater as the actuation mechanism for the bending and folding motions," said Yong Zhu, the Andrew A. Adams Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at N.C. State and one of the lead researchers.

Shuang Wu, a postdoctoral researcher in Zhu's lab, noted, "In this work, we achieved localized, sharp folding to actuate the origami pattern. This effective actuation method can be generally applied to origami structures (with creases) for soft robotics."

The researchers acknowledged that the current robot version has limited speed and are working to improve locomotion in future iterations. Zhao mentioned plans to experiment with different shapes, patterns, and instabilities to enhance speed and steering.

Support for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

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