A compliant origami mechanism driven by tendon-sheath

Abstract

Origami, as a new research direction, has an excellent performance on deployable structures. However, due to its compact configuration, the self-folding of origami is difficult to control by traditional driven mode. In this paper, a common origami pattern, waterbomb pattern, is studied and the deformation of the pattern is controlled by tendon-sheath. By constructing coordinate transformation matrix system, the relative position of vertexes in origami at any time when folding can be obtained. The origami mechanism is designed using flexible hinges as the crease and made by 3D printing rubber materials. Finally, an experiment is made to verify the accuracy of the design. The research of origami mechanism will be applied in the storage of solar arrays and modular construction of soft bionic robot, providing a more stable and automatic control scheme.