Flexible and Foldable: Workspace Analysis and Object Manipulation Using a Soft, Interconnected, Origami-Inspired Actuator Array

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Dacre, Bailey, Moreno, Rodrigo, Demirtas, Serhat, Wang, Ziqiao, Jiang, Yuhao, Paik, Jamie, Stoy, Kasper, Faíña, Andrés
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Dacre, Bailey
Moreno, Rodrigo
Demirtas, Serhat
Wang, Ziqiao
Jiang, Yuhao
Paik, Jamie
Stoy, Kasper
Faíña, Andrés
author_facet Dacre, Bailey
Moreno, Rodrigo
Demirtas, Serhat
Wang, Ziqiao
Jiang, Yuhao
Paik, Jamie
Stoy, Kasper
Faíña, Andrés
contents Object manipulation is a fundamental challenge in robotics, where systems must balance trade-offs among manipulation capabilities, system complexity, and throughput. Distributed manipulator systems (DMS) use the coordinated motion of actuator arrays to perform complex object manipulation tasks, seeing widespread exploration within the literature and in industry. However, existing DMS designs typically rely on high actuator densities and impose constraints on object-to-actuator scale ratios, limiting their adaptability. We present a novel DMS design utilizing an array of 3-DoF, origami-inspired robotic tiles interconnected by a compliant surface layer. Unlike conventional DMS, our approach enables manipulation not only at the actuator end effectors but also across a flexible surface connecting all actuators; creating a continuous, controllable manipulation surface. We analyse the combined workspace of such a system, derive simple motion primitives, and demonstrate its capabilities to translate simple geometric objects across an array of tiles. By leveraging the inter-tile connective material, our approach significantly reduces actuator density, increasing the area over which an object can be manipulated by x1.84 without an increase in the number of actuators. This design offers a lower cost and complexity alternative to traditional high-density arrays, and introduces new opportunities for manipulation strategies that leverage the flexibility of the interconnected surface.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_13998
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Flexible and Foldable: Workspace Analysis and Object Manipulation Using a Soft, Interconnected, Origami-Inspired Actuator Array
Dacre, Bailey
Moreno, Rodrigo
Demirtas, Serhat
Wang, Ziqiao
Jiang, Yuhao
Paik, Jamie
Stoy, Kasper
Faíña, Andrés
Robotics
Object manipulation is a fundamental challenge in robotics, where systems must balance trade-offs among manipulation capabilities, system complexity, and throughput. Distributed manipulator systems (DMS) use the coordinated motion of actuator arrays to perform complex object manipulation tasks, seeing widespread exploration within the literature and in industry. However, existing DMS designs typically rely on high actuator densities and impose constraints on object-to-actuator scale ratios, limiting their adaptability. We present a novel DMS design utilizing an array of 3-DoF, origami-inspired robotic tiles interconnected by a compliant surface layer. Unlike conventional DMS, our approach enables manipulation not only at the actuator end effectors but also across a flexible surface connecting all actuators; creating a continuous, controllable manipulation surface. We analyse the combined workspace of such a system, derive simple motion primitives, and demonstrate its capabilities to translate simple geometric objects across an array of tiles. By leveraging the inter-tile connective material, our approach significantly reduces actuator density, increasing the area over which an object can be manipulated by x1.84 without an increase in the number of actuators. This design offers a lower cost and complexity alternative to traditional high-density arrays, and introduces new opportunities for manipulation strategies that leverage the flexibility of the interconnected surface.
title Flexible and Foldable: Workspace Analysis and Object Manipulation Using a Soft, Interconnected, Origami-Inspired Actuator Array
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13998