The Energon Pub

[Va'al]

Reading the news today, you may come across the creation of the first type of transforming robots on behalf of a team of Harvard scientists - alas, not yet close to the type we're used to, but it's a big step forward in robotics and manufacturing industries nonetheless! Check out below a selection from the press release at EurekAlert!, a video about the robots, and read an article about it here.

Origami robot folds itself up, crawls away
Prototype made almost entirely of printable parts demonstrates crucial capabilities of reconfigurable robots

For years, a team of researchers at MIT and Harvard University has been working on origami robots — reconfigurable robots that would be able to fold themselves into arbitrary shapes.

In the August 7 issue of Science, they report their latest milestone: a robot, made almost entirely from parts produced by a laser cutter, that folds itself up and crawls away as soon as batteries are attached to it.

"The exciting thing here is that you create this device that has computation embedded in the flat, printed version," says Daniela Rus, the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and one of the Science paper's co-authors. "And when these devices lift up from the ground into the third dimension, they do it in a thoughtful way."

[Ravage XK]

I love the way it slowly and gently folds itself into shape and then flails around like crazy as it moves away.

[TulioDude]

Fascinatting material that they used.Doesn't look paper but also doesn't look the metal plates we're used.

[Megatron Wolf]

that is extremely cool but also really scary, this is definitely one of those things that could advance humanity or destroy it outright.

[Convoy]

I didn't read or see anything that indicates whether it can change back or not. Still cool though. Reminds me of a pop-up book that can turn its own pages and hop around.

[Peridot]

I thought this was the world's first Transformer.

[Blast Cannon]

Another step to Skynet.

[Ultra Markus]

Soon we will have that flying car that folds into a briefcase!!

[Stormrider]

I am trying to understand it's application. So this helps industries - how?

[Ravage XK]

I am trying to understand it's application. So this helps industries - how?

Clearing printer paper jams!

[Mykltron]

one: a robot, made almost entirely from parts produced by a laser cutter, that folds itself up and crawls away as soon as batteries are attached to it.

That sounds annoying. "Guys! Come look what I've made! Wait, where did it go?"

[Stormrider]

I am trying to understand it's application. So this helps industries - how?

Clearing printer paper jams!

lol