4D printed, shape-shifting structures hold significant potential for the future of engineering. Be it self-assembling trusses, or medical devices that help inform cell regeneration, the field still has many challenges to overcome before its possibilities become practical. Up to now, one of the greatest challenges to 4D printing has been the ability to create complex, smoothly-curved shapes. […]
Harvard and Caltech 3D prints self-folding soft robots inspired by origami
Researchers from Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology have developed origami-inspired soft robotic systems that adopts task-specific configurations on demand. Of the systems fabricated is a 3D printed “Rollbot” that assembles into a pentagonal prism and self-rolls in programmed responses to thermal stimuli. Another 3D printed device is a self-twisting origami polyhedron that exhibits […]