From Atomic Origami, Towards Cell-Sized Machines

We are developing origami into a tool for fabricating autonomous, cell-sized machines. These devices can interact with their environment, be manufactured en masse, and carry the full power of modern information technology. Our approach starts with origami in the extreme limit of folding 2D atomic membranes. We make actuators that bend to micron radii of curvature out of atomically thin materials, like graphene. By patterning rigid panels on top of these actuators, we can localize bending to produce folds, and scale down existing origami patterns to produce a wide range of machines. These machines change shape in fractions of a second in response to environmental changes, and perform useful functions on time and length scales comparable to microscale biological organisms. Beyond simple stimuli, we demonstrate how to fabricate voltage responsive actuators that can be powered by on-board photovoltaics. Finally, we demonstrate that these actuation technologies can be combined with silicon-based electronics to create a powerful platform for robotics at the cellular scale.