Tailoring materials into kirigami robots

Abstract

Kirigami, the traditional paper-cutting craft, holds immense potential for revolutionizing robotics by providing multifunctional, lightweight, and adaptable solutions. Kirigami structures, characterized by their bending-dominated deformation, offer resilience to tensile forces and facilitate shape morphing under small actuation forces. Kirigami components such as actuators, sensors, batteries, controllers, and body structures can be tailored to specific robotic applications by optimizing cut patterns. Actuators based on kirigami principles exhibit complex motions programmable through various energy sources, while kirigami sensors bridge the gap between electrical conductivity and compliance. Kirigami-integrated batteries enable energy storage directly within robot structures, enhancing flexibility and compactness. Kirigami-controlled mechanisms mimic mechanical computations, enabling advanced functionalities such as shape morphing and memory functions. Applications of kirigami-enabled robots include grasping, locomotion, and wearables, showcasing their adaptability to diverse environments and tasks. Despite promising opportunities, challenges remain in the design of cut patterns for a given function and streamlining fabrication techniques.