MIT’s Robogami Simplifies Robot Design

Hackster Staff
Aug 23, 2017 · 2 min read

While robots are becoming increasingly common, they still require a large amount of specialized knowledge to design. In order to “democratize” this process, researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have created the “Interactive Robogami” system to enable anyone to design and build their own robots.

A full Robogami set. (📷: MIT CSAIL)

The origami-inspired system takes the form of a simplified 3D CAD package, where a library of parts can be combined into robots of different forms and complexities. The software then simulates the robot’s motion, and even suggests improvements to the user to improve the design.

Once complete, the robots are printed out as flat sections that can be folded together for easy assembly. The eventual goal of this type of technique would be for a human to design motion parameters, and the computer designs a robot to accomplish that task.

This rapid prototyping process allows users to create lightweight, affordable, customizable, and materially versatile robots in a matter of minutes. (📷: MIT CSAIL)

In order to implement the motion sequence, the robot requires actuators and control circuitry. According to the team’s paper, the electronics consist of an Arduino Pro Mini, servo motors, and a 3.7V lithium ion battery.

For more details, you can download the research paper here.

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Hackster.io, an Avnet community, is the world’s largest network for hardware & software developers. With 1 million members and 17,000+ projects, beginners and professionals can learn and share how to build robotics, industrial automation systems, AI-powered machines, and more.

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Hackster Staff

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Hackster Blog

Hackster.io, an Avnet community, is the world’s largest network for hardware & software developers. With 1 million members and 17,000+ projects, beginners and professionals can learn and share how to build robotics, industrial automation systems, AI-powered machines, and more.

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