Origami-inspired soft robot gets a grip on fragile objects

TWISTER (TWISted TowEr Robot) is a patent-pending 3D-printed soft robot developed by Case Western Reserve University’s Kiju Lee, the Nord Distinguished Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at CWR.

According to CWU, TWISTER was inspired by an origami twisted tower that uses multiple origami segments to form a tower structure. This origami design was then reinvented for various potential applications in robotics and manufacturing.

In earlier work using paper-folded structures, Lee's team added three small versions of the towers to one end of the larger tower and manipulated them to grasp like three opposing fingers. While picking up and moving eggs and ripe fruit, Lee's team found that when excessive force was applied, the fingers absorbed the extra force by distributing it and deforming.

That quality, the researchers said, demonstrates the design's potential for manipulating fragile objects without requiring force-based sensing and interacting with humans, without safety concerns.

"Among the possibilities for this robot are fragile-object manipulation and direct human-robot interaction, because these robots are soft and safe," said Lee, who presented her latest study at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Vancouver on September 27, 2017.