In the field of soft robotics, harnessing the nonlinear dynamics of soft and compliant bodies as a computational resource to enable embodied intelligence and control is known as morphological computation. Physical reservoir computing (PRC) is a true instance of morphological computation wherein; a physical nonlinear dynamic system is used as a fixed reservoir to perform complex computational tasks. These dynamic reservoirs can be used to approximate nonlinear dynamical systems and even perform machine learning tasks. By numerical simulation, this study illustrates that an origami meta-material can also be used as a dynamic reservoir for pattern generation, output modulation, and input sensing. These results could pave the way for intelligently designed origami-based robots that interact with the environment through a distributed network of sensors and actuators. This embodied intelligence will enable the next generations of soft robots to autonomously coordinate and modulate their activities, such as locomotion gait generation and limb manipulation while resisting external disturbances.
Motivated by the sophisticated geometries in origami folding and the fluidic actuation principle in nastic plant movements, the concept of fluidic origami cellular structure was proposed for versatile morphing and actuation. The idea is to assembly compatible origami sheets into a cellular architecture, and apply fluidic pressure into its naturally embedded tubes to achieve effective shape reconfigurations. Despite the promising potentials, the actuation capabilities of fluidic origami, such as free stroke and blocking force, are not elucidated. Especially, we do not understand the effects of thick facet material compliance and pressure-sealing end caps. This research aims to address these issues by incorporating realistic considerations into the design, fabrication, and analysis of fluidic origami. We construct CAD models of fluidic origami tubes that incorporate the finite facet material thickness and flat end caps. Various design parameters are chosen carefully to ensure that they can be fabricated via commercially accessible 3D printing techniques. These models are then used to analyze the actuation performance via finite element simulation (FEA). Results show that the undesired effects from end caps are limited to the unit cells at the tube ends, and fluidic origami can indeed provide robust actuation and morphing capability.
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