Daniela Rus of MIT who is co-author of the study says that “The fabricating robots approach would help in democratize access to robots”.

The robotics industry is spreading its roots rapidly across the world. In 2015 robot sales increased dramatically and many countries expanded their position in the robot development market. Recently MIT and Harvard researchers have just revealed a paper folding robot which has a shrinking effect. This robot can fold itself automatically into a functioning machine within few minutes.

You may remember the kid’s toys which had shrinking effect due to Shrinky-Dinks. The Shrinky-Dinks is a special kind of material which has shrinking effect when heated above certain temperature. In the development process of this paper robot researchers coated a thick paper substrate with the memory polymer. The robot hinges were developed by using a two dimensional pattern. These hinges housed embedded circuits providing 212 degree Fahrenheit would give necessary heat to get the polymer’s shape and cause the robot to fold. The gap between the hinge and paper would serve in manipulating the fold angles of the robot. Other electrical components such as motor and batteries also added for endless power supply. The paper robot has followed a five step pattern to get the desired folding shape.

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The best part is that folding robot is not costly and it would just cost $100 to build. The robot is built by using available technologies and material. This provides an edge over the traditional robots that are really expensive.  These paper folding robots would able to get access to the small places and narrow areas easily. These robots can also be deployed in different dangerous environment. Several factors can also be used to initiate the folding process such as environment etc. In conclusion, paper folding robots have opened new doors for future inventions.