RevLock: A Reversible Self-locking Mechanism Driven by Linear Actuators for Foldable Robots and Systems

PhD in Computational Design | IEEE Robots and Automation Letters 2023
Carnegie Mellon University

Tags: Computational Design, Robotics, Computational Geometry

The design of origami- and kirigami-inspired robots enalbe configurations from 2D to 3D shapes, lightweight systems, and take advantage of rapid fabrication techniques. These features have been explored for robotics in applications ranging from aerosapce to medical devices. However, achieving reversible reconfigurations that sustain/lock between shapes without requiring constant energy input and allow system integration (e.g., sensing, assembly) is challenging. This letter proposes a design and fabrication approach that uses electrically driven mechanisms to enable reversible self-reconfiguration and locking without constant energy input. We leverage origami and kirigami-inspired designs to transmit the motions of a planar artificial muscle and low melting point alloys for time-controlled locking. Using theses techniques, we demonstrate compact systems in multiple reconfigruable robotic applications, from gripping to crawling.
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