Software robots have always been a very promising field of research, but one of the important features that these software robots lack is the strength. Now, scientists from CSAIL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Wyss Institute of Harvard University have come up with a way to give some strength to the soft robot — to equip them with rigid origami bones.

In a paper published in the days before the “PNAS” in the journal, researchers describe a new flexible artificial muscle, can be used to manufacture flexible robot. The muscles are made up of an airtight bag filled with air or fluid, which contains a folding paper structure as a skeleton. When using an electric pump to reduce the pressure in the bag, the whole structure contracts like the muscles of the arms or legs. But these artificial muscles are much stronger than human muscles and can lift more than 1000 times the weight of their own body.

The main author of the paper says: “software robots have great potential, but so far, one of the limitations is payload. (they) are very safe, very mild, but not good at lifting weights. This new approach enables us to make powerful flexible robots. ”

This artificial muscle has many potential uses, the most obvious is the warehouse and logistics operation, which can safely handle fragile and fragile objects. They are also very suitable for grasping objects with unusual shapes.

In spite of this, the new artificial muscle has its shortcomings. The biggest problem is that they are not as easy to control or reprogram as traditional robots. The direction of their movement depends entirely on their internal structure, and once they are created, they can not be changed. But researchers can use algorithms to look up various origami patterns so that these “muscles” can perform even complex movements.

By George Ding