A team of scientists out of China have devised a self-folding paper robot. It can alter its shape, crawl and walk and turn according to light and temperature. The team, out of Donghua University in Shanghai, have essentially made the world’s first 100% paper robot.
They associate the paper robot more with origami. The ancient art of paper folding has inspired a lot of experiments in teh moder world, and the team, by combining the principles of graphene paper with remote control robotics and chemistry, they were able to device this specific kind of paper. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances, reveals that the team took graphene oxide and polydopamine to create nanosheets that absorb or expel water molecules as a response to environmental changes, such as changes in humidity, temperature or light. This makes the paper either swell or shrink in a way that allows for actual movement.
The paper is an excellent conducer, flexible and robust, so it has the potential to be applied to a variety of fields, including to make sensors, artificial muscles, and in robotics. This invention shows that things as basic as paper can be manipulated to be much more, and can even be applied to aid modern technology to be labeled the world’s first paper robot.
