Modular robots, those capable of altering their body configuration to navigate various terrains or change locomotion styles, hold immense potential for versatile missions across diverse environments. In the pursuit of innovative modular robotic systems, researchers at Westlake University and Zhejiang University in China have drawn inspiration from the intricate art of origami. Specifically, they’ve embraced the Kresling pattern, a fold in origami, to create a novel modular robot design. This inventive approach, unveiled in a Nature Communications paper, introduces universally deformable modules that can be rearranged to yield diverse shapes and configurations.
Origami meets robotics, the Kresling pattern
The Kresling pattern, a well-known origami fold, involves alternating mountain (protruding) and valley (sunken) folds along twisting directions. This pattern’s potential to replicate complex shapes observed in nature, like the intricate patterns on hawkmoth wings or pinecone geometries, prompted the researchers to explore its application in robotics.
Traditionally, Kresling-based robotic designs focused on multimode robotic arms. However, existing methodologies were constrained by coupled twisting and contraction modes. The researchers’ ambition was to modify the Kresling pattern to introduce new deformation modes, pushing the boundaries of modular robotic capabilities.
Innovative deformable modules driven by pneumatics
At the core of this research lies the creation of universally deformable modules, driven by pneumatics—a mechanism that employs gas or pressurized air for movement. The researchers designed a two-level Kresling pattern unit, characterized by opposing twisting directions on each level. The unit further includes side pouches on opposite sides of each level. Through selective pressurization of these side pouches while vacuuming the main chamber, the researchers achieved diverse deformation modes.
The groundbreaking module’s shape transformation is orchestrated by pressure adjustments, allowing it to manifest various shapes suited to specific applications. Impressively, a single origami module can enable seven distinct motion modes within robots. These modes encompass three fundamental motions and four combinations thereof.
Adaptive and reconfigurable robotic potential
The universality of the two-level unit emerges as its defining feature—it can execute all potential deformation modes, contingent upon the chosen pressurization schemes. Drawing an analogy to human anatomy, the researchers liken the unit to an arm, capable of executing diverse deformations, just as our arms can contract, extend, twist, and bend. The module’s pressurization schemes mirror the function of nerves, enabling it to adapt like our arms, the universal module serving as the equivalent of a human arm with six degrees of freedom.
The viability of this innovative design was verified through simulations and real-world experiments. The outcomes were promising, affirming the module’s potential to fuel the development of modular robots that adeptly navigate their environment and adopt versatile modes of movement.
Most notably, the module’s unique feature is its ability to be reassembled while the robot is in operation. This trait renders it invaluable for intricate real-world missions that necessitate swift adaptations to changing surroundings. The prospect of more sophisticated soft robots responsive to their environment emerges as a possibility from this work.
Looking ahead, the researchers have plans to channel this innovative structure into practical applications, such as enhancing the robot’s capability to grasp sizable objects. With its potential to revolutionize adaptability and reconfigurability in robotics, this origami-inspired approach could usher in a new era of modular robots that seamlessly tackle complex tasks across varying environments.
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