Single-Motor Controlled Tendon-Driven Peristaltic Soft Origami Robot

Abstract

Origami-based paper folding is being used in robotics community to provide stiffness and flexibility simultaneously while designing smart structures. In this paper, we propose a novel design inspired by origami pattern service robot, which transforms its shape in the axial direction and introduce peristaltic motion therein. Here, servo motor is being used for translational actuation and springs maneuver self-deployable structure when necessary. Self-deployable springs are compressed by the application of axial force as the string gets wound around the servo motor programed to rotate with a particular speed for specified time duration. Specially coated photopolymer resin structures have been used to provide external rigidity to the springs so to avoid buckling while operation. In future, this friction coated origami service robot is envisioned to be used in an unstructured environment as the scope of applications increases at the nexus of surgical robotic navigation, houses to disaster areas.