Imagine placing a flat piece of plastic on a warm surface and watching it fold itself into a fully functional robot without human hands, motors or complex assembly.
It may sound like science fiction, but researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) demonstrated exactly that with a tiny, origami-inspired robot designed to assemble itself and perform useful tasks.
First unveiled in 2015, the centimetre-long machine showcased how simple materials, clever engineering and the ancient art of origami could combine to create a new generation of miniature robots.
Although it was an experimental prototype, the project offered a glimpse into a future where self-assembling robots could help in medicine, disaster response and other environments too small or dangerous for conventional machines.
How a flat plastic sheet transforms into a working robot in just minutesCreated at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT, the robot begins as a flat structure that consists of three layers of material.
