From flat-packed to self-folding, Harvard graduate student Samuel Felton was inspired by origami when he created a laser-cut robot that could assemble itself and autonomously scurry away. The basic ingredients: two motors, two batteries, a microcontroller, and a mix of paper layers that includes Shrinky Dink plastic and a flexible circuit board.
The project is a collaboration between Harvard’s Felton, Michael Tolley, and Rob Wood, with MIT’s Daniela Rus and Erik Demaine. Watch Felton and Wood explain the robot in detail:
All pre-programmed, with no people needed on site, where would you send a self-folding robot?
via The New York Times.
This Webby award-winning video collection exists to help teachers, librarians, and families spark kid wonder and curiosity. TKSST features smarter, more meaningful content than what's usually served up by YouTube's algorithms, and amplifies the creators who make that content.
Curated, kid-friendly, independently-published. Support this mission by becoming a sustaining member today.