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Origami Inspired Self Locking Robotic Arm

SNU Soft Robotics Center led by Professor CHO Kyu-Jin has developed a foldable robotic arm like ‘Inspector Gadget’ arm.

Adding a robotic manipulator to unmanned aerial vehicles is a big challenge because increasing weight and size can be critical to those vehicles

Adding a robotic manipulator to unmanned aerial vehicles is a big challenge because increasing weight and size can be critical to those vehicles

Inspired by the origami, the researchers have designed a flat, foldable, light-weighted, but highly stiff robotic arm that can be attached to UAVs.

Inspired by the origami, the researchers have designed a flat, foldable, light-weighted, but highly stiff robotic arm that can be attached to UAVs.

The foldable arm attached to UAV can perform various tasks: taking videos between branches and gripping object under the ditch.

The foldable arm attached to UAV can perform various tasks: taking videos between branches and gripping object under the ditch.

The foldable arm attached to UAV can perform various tasks: taking videos between branches and gripping object under the ditch.

The arm is strong enough to be able to stretch from 40 mm to 700 mm.

The arm is strong enough to be able to stretch from 40 mm to 700 mm.

A single module of 28 g can withstand over 12 kg, which is more than 400 times of its own weight.

A single module of 28 g can withstand over 12 kg, which is more than 400 times of its own weight.

The origami-inspired design makes it possible to create light-weighted, highly rigid, and self-assembling structures. It might be possible in the future to create building structures for extreme environment with this origami-inspired design.

The origami-inspired design makes it possible to create light-weighted, highly rigid, and self-assembling structures.

It might be possible in the future to create building structures for extreme environment with this origami-inspired design.

* This is the summary of introduction video of ‘An origami-inspired, self-locking robotic arm that can be folded flat’ that was published in the journal Science Robotics on March 14, 2018.