Scientists at the University of Washington have developed a new type of flying robot that can change shape in mid-air by snapping into a folded position. The robots are inspired by origami and mimic the flight of different leaf types. They can be equipped with sensors for environmental monitoring and can be deployed en masse without batteries or wires.
The robots weigh just 400 milligrams and feature an on-board battery-free actuator complete with a solar power-harvesting circuit. They are dropped from a drone at an approximate height of 130 feet and can travel the length of a football field if there is a light breeze. They transform from an unfolded to a folded state in just 25 milliseconds, which stabilizes their descent and allows for different trajectories.
“We wanted to create something that could be deployed en masse without batteries or wires,” said Jinkyu Yang, senior author and associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at UW. “This ability to disperse in the wind without active propulsion is useful for designing wind-dispersed micro fliers.”
The robots have an onboard pressure sensor to estimate altitude, an onboard timer and a simple Bluetooth receiver for communication and control. They can be programmed to fold at different times and angles, creating various flight patterns. The researchers tested the robots with different leaf shapes, such as maple, elm and oak, and found that each shape had its own advantages and disadvantages.
“We were inspired by how leaves fall off trees,” said Einar Öberg, lead author and doctoral student in mechanical engineering at UW. “We wanted to capture the natural variability and diversity of leaf shapes and use them to design our robots.”
The researchers hope that their origami-inspired robots can be used for various applications, such as environmental monitoring, disaster response, surveillance and exploration. The robots can be equipped with a wide variety of sensors to make surveys as they soar around the sky.
“These miniature Transformers snap into a folded position during flight to stabilize descent,” said Engadget. “The microfliers can be equipped with a wide variety of sensors to make surveys as they soar around the sky.”
Relevant articles:
– These solar-powered, origami-inspired robots can change shape mid-flight – University of Washington News, Sep 28, 2023
– These flying origami-inspired robots change shape in mid-air – Engadget, Sep 28, 2023
– Meet the origami robots – MSN, Sep 27, 2023
– These Battery-Free, Tiny Robots Transform Into Origami-Inspired Foldable Paper – Tech Times, Sep 15, 2023