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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.05260 |
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| _version_ | 1866908987633434624 |
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| author | Hagemann, Niklas Rus, Daniela |
| author_facet | Hagemann, Niklas Rus, Daniela |
| contents | There is a growing need for robots that can change their shape, size and mechanical properties to adapt to evolving tasks and environments. However, current shape-changing systems generally utilize bespoke, system-specific mechanisms that can be difficult to scale, reconfigure or translate from one application to another. This paper introduces a compact, easy-to-fabricate deployable actuator that achieves reversible scale and stiffness transformations through compound folding and zipping of flexible 3D-printed plastic strips into square-section deployable beams. The simple actuation method allows for smooth, continuous transitions between compact (flexible) and expanded (quasi-rigid) states, facilitating diverse shape and stiffness transformations when modules are combined into larger assemblies. The actuator's mechanical performance is characterized and an integrated system involving a four-module adaptive walking robot is demonstrated. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_05260 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | ZipFold: Modular Actuators for Scaleable Adaptive Robots Hagemann, Niklas Rus, Daniela Robotics Soft Condensed Matter Human-Computer Interaction There is a growing need for robots that can change their shape, size and mechanical properties to adapt to evolving tasks and environments. However, current shape-changing systems generally utilize bespoke, system-specific mechanisms that can be difficult to scale, reconfigure or translate from one application to another. This paper introduces a compact, easy-to-fabricate deployable actuator that achieves reversible scale and stiffness transformations through compound folding and zipping of flexible 3D-printed plastic strips into square-section deployable beams. The simple actuation method allows for smooth, continuous transitions between compact (flexible) and expanded (quasi-rigid) states, facilitating diverse shape and stiffness transformations when modules are combined into larger assemblies. The actuator's mechanical performance is characterized and an integrated system involving a four-module adaptive walking robot is demonstrated. |
| title | ZipFold: Modular Actuators for Scaleable Adaptive Robots |
| topic | Robotics Soft Condensed Matter Human-Computer Interaction |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.05260 |