Tropes

news.discovery.com 2015 01309.txt.txt

#Tiny, Origami Robots Can Climb, Swim and Burrow By their very nature, robots are a little creepy, I think we can all agree on that. Entire genres of science fiction are dedicated to the idea, after all. And little robots tend to be even creepier, somehow especially when they get down to the size of insects and start buzzing around in swarms. So how about a bug-sized origami robot that assembles itself and then swims, burrows, moves objects and flutters around like a deranged butterfly? Not to mention it meant to do all of that, eventually, inside your body? One potential application is to someday deploy the ot inside the human body, where guided by magnetic fields it could be used to scout around and deliver medicines to specific locations. Yes, creepy but also undeniably cool. At the ICRA 2015 conference in Seattle, researchers from MIT and TU Munich presented just such a creation in a presentation titled (cleverly) n Untethered Miniature Origami Robot That Self-folds, Walks, Swims, and Degrades. You really have to see this thing in action to appreciate it. Check out the video below. The tiny robot is made of pre-cut polystyrene or paper panels which when heated, fold themselves into a very specific and asymmetrical shape. Powered by a small magnet at its center, the robot uses its very asymmetry to tackle all sorts of tasks. It can walk, swim and climb, and even move or carry small objects. The bot has no motor, and it isn actually powered by the internal magnet. Instead, it guided around the surface on which its moving by a set of electromagnetic coils underneath. T hose coils generate directional electromagnetic fields that cycle on and off, causing the robot to oscillate and move in a specified manner determined by the asymmetrical folds. The contraption is designed also to dissolve itself in acetone when the workday is done. Measuring 1. 7 cm per side and weighing in at about 0. 31 grams, the robot is tiny indeed but it meant to become even tinier. The researchers intend to miniaturize their creation even further, and eventually attach integrated sensors and communication devices. Sounds great! You first d

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