Researchers from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a robot that assembles itself into a complex shape in four minutes, then folds itself up and crawls away without human intervention. The method draws inspiration from self-assembly in nature. The robots are the culmination of a series of advances made over the last few years including development of a printed robotic inchworm and a self-folding lamp. The new robot is a full electromechanical system that is embedded into one flat sheet. The researchers used computer-design tools to determine the optimal design and fold pattern. The researchers started with a flat sheet and then added two motors, two batteries, and a microcontroller, which acts like a brain. The sheet was a composite of paper and polystyrene with a flexible circuit board in the middle. It also included hinges that were programmed to fold at specific angles. Each hinge contained embedded circuits that produce heat on command from the microcontroller. The heat triggers the composite to fold itself in a series of steps. When the hinges cool after about four minutes, the polystyrene hardens, which stiffens the robot, and the microcontroller then signals the robot to crawl away.
Source: Harvard University
