Not all robots are meant to tower over humans and display their power menacingly. MIT’s origami bot is so tiny, it can fit in a capsule and be ingested by anyone of us to heal from the inside #objectmagic
Scientists from MIT, University of Sheffield and the Tokyo Institute of Technology named the bot “origami” because it needs to fold before it goes inside a pill. Once swallowed, it can unfold to clear obstructions or patch wounds. Researchers used dried pig intestine and magnetic components to make up the robot, while making sure it has enough slits to fold and unfold, as required.
For their initial test, scientists used an ice capsule as a shell for the tiny robot and equipped him with a magnet before being moved through an esophagus and stomach simulator. Once it got there, the ice melted and the bot was able to extract a battery stuck in the stomach lining.
In real life, to propel itself all the way there, the bot would use a “stick-slip” motion. Researchers are eager to try it on real humans, since they believe the origami bot can do more than extract obstacles – it can patch internal wounds because it is made from a biocompatible material.
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