Robogami: A Fully Integrated Low-Profile Robotic Origami

Intelligent robotic systems that can react to unprogrammed tasks and unforeseen environmental changes require augmented "softness." Robogami, a low-profile origami robot, addresses intrinsic (material-wise) and extrinsic (mechanism-wise) softness with its multi-degree-of-freedom (DOF) body driven by soft actuators. The unique hardware of the Robogami and its submillimeter thick construction enable diverse transformations as those achievable by the paper origami. The presented Robogami shows the first fully integrated version that has all the essential components including its controller within a thin sheet. Construction of this robot is possible via precise, repeatable, and low cost planar fabrication methods often reserved for microscale fabrications. In this research, we aim at expanding the capabilities of Robogamis by embedding bidirectional actuation, sensing, and control circuit. To assess the performance of the proposed sensors and actuators, we report on the performance of these components in a single module and in the four-legged crawler robot.

[1]  Erik D. Demaine,et al.  A Universal Crease Pattern for Folding Orthogonal Shapes , 2009, ArXiv.

[2]  Kazuo Tanaka,et al.  Development and control of a micro biped walking robot using shape memory alloys , 2006, Proceedings 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2006. ICRA 2006..

[3]  Jaydev P. Desai,et al.  Toward a Meso-Scale SMA-Actuated MRI-Compatible Neurosurgical Robot , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[4]  Ronald S. Fearing,et al.  RoACH: An autonomous 2.4g crawling hexapod robot , 2008, 2008 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[5]  Yi Sun,et al.  Sensor and actuator integrated low-profile robotic origami , 2013, 2013 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[6]  H. Shea,et al.  Flexible and stretchable electrodes for dielectric elastomer actuators , 2012, Applied Physics A.

[7]  Metin Sitti,et al.  Shape Memory Polymer-Based Flexure Stiffness Control in a Miniature Flapping-Wing Robot , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[8]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Stretchable circuits and sensors for robotic origami , 2011, 2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[9]  Amir Firouzeh,et al.  An IPMC-made deformable-ring-like robot , 2012 .

[10]  Byoungkwon An,et al.  Programming and controlling self-folding robots , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[11]  R. Wood,et al.  A bidirectional shape memory alloy folding actuator , 2012 .

[12]  Satoshi Murata,et al.  Stiffness distribution control - locomotion of closed link robot with mechanical softness , 2006, Proceedings 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2006. ICRA 2006..

[13]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Robotic Origamis: Self-morphing Modular Robot , 2012 .

[14]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Microrobot Design Using Fiber Reinforced Composites , 2008 .

[15]  Cecilia Laschi,et al.  Soft robotics: a bioinspired evolution in robotics. , 2013, Trends in biotechnology.

[16]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Compliant Modular Shape Memory Alloy Actuators , 2010, IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine.

[17]  Kyu-Jin Cho,et al.  Flea-Inspired Catapult Mechanism for Miniature Jumping Robots , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[18]  R. Wood,et al.  Robotic origamis : self-morphing modular robots , 2011 .

[19]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Soft curvature sensors for joint angle proprioception , 2011, 2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[20]  Huai-Ti Lin,et al.  GoQBot: a caterpillar-inspired soft-bodied rolling robot , 2011, Bioinspiration & biomimetics.

[21]  K. Hrissagis,et al.  Rolling locomotion of a deformable soft robot with built-in power source , 2008 .

[22]  Silvestro Micera,et al.  Soft robot for gait rehabilitation of spinalized rodents , 2013, 2013 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[23]  George J. Weng,et al.  A self-consistent model for the stress-strain behavior of shape-memory alloy polycrystals , 1998 .

[24]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Robot self-assembly by folding: A printed inchworm robot , 2013, 2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[25]  H Tanaka,et al.  Programmable matter by folding , 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[26]  Kyu-Jin Cho,et al.  Omegabot : Biomimetic inchworm robot using SMA coil actuator and smart composite microstructures (SCM) , 2009, 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO).

[27]  R. Wood,et al.  A novel low-profile shape memory alloy torsional actuator , 2010 .

[28]  G. Whitesides,et al.  Elastomeric Origami: Programmable Paper‐Elastomer Composites as Pneumatic Actuators , 2012 .

[29]  Clément Gosselin,et al.  Characterization of the electrical resistance of carbon-black-filled silicone: Application to a flexible and stretchable robot skin , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[30]  Robert J. Wood,et al.  Towards printable robotics: Origami-inspired planar fabrication of three-dimensional mechanisms , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.