Untethered control of functional origami microrobots with distributed actuation

Abstract

Deployability, multifunctionality, and tunability are features that can be explored in the design space of origami engineering solutions. These features arise from the shape-changing capabilities of origami assemblies, which require effective actuation for full functionality. Current actuation strategies rely on either slow or tethered or bulky actuators (or a combination). To broaden applications of origami designs, we introduce an origami system with magnetic control. We couple the geometrical and mechanical properties of the bistable Kresling pattern with a magnetically responsive material to achieve untethered and local/distributed actuation with controllable speed, which can be as fast as a tenth of a second with instantaneous shape locking. We show how this strategy facilitates multimodal actuation of the multicell assemblies, in which any unit cell can be independently folded and deployed, allowing for on-the-fly programmability. In addition, we demonstrate how the Kresling assembly can serve as a basis for tunable physical properties and for digital computing. The magnetic origami systems are applicable to origami-inspired robots, morphing structures and devices, metamaterials, and multifunctional devices with multiphysics responses.

Multifunctional magnetic soft composites: a review

“…The resonant frequency of the antenna can be actively tuned by morphing the height under the applied magnetic field, as shown in figure 9(a) [ 23 ]. Recent work develops a multifunctional magnetic origami system with coupled magneto-mechano-electric behaviors, as shown in figure 9(b) [ 188 ]. By integrating the programmed magnetic soft materials in a homogeneously distributed manner into the bistable origami assembly, the magnetic actuation provides independent control of the folding/unfolding of each unit cell with instantaneous shape locking, which enables various functions such as tunable physical properties and configurable electronics for digital computing.…”

“…(b) Multifunctional Magneto-mechano-electric origami assembly for digital computing. (Adapted from [ 188 ]. Copyright 2020, National Academy of Sciences).…”

Soft Robotics in Medicine

“…Soft regions of the body allow for animals to dissipate impact force, mold to contact surfaces, and navigate gaps that would otherwise be too small [8]. All of these abilities stand to greatly benefit various areas of medicine and have numerous potential applications, from surgery to drug delivery [2,9].…”

Small‐Scale Magnetic Actuators with Optimal Six Degrees‐of‐Freedom

“…Among the miniature robots, the magnetically actuated ones are especially effective to operate in enclosed spaces because their actuating signals, in the form of remote magnetic fields, can easily and harmlessly penetrate through most biological and synthetic materials. [ 6,24–48 ] Furthermore, magnetic actuation offers more control parameters over other actuation methods (e.g., heat, chemicals, and pressure [ 9 ] ), because the actuating magnetic fields can be specified not only in their magnitude but also in their directions and spatial‐gradients. [ 9,30,37,38 ] Due to this unique advantage, magnetic miniature robots (MMRs) have shown to be more mobile and functional among the small‐scale, untethered actuators.…”