In experiments involving a simulation of the human esophagus and stomach, researchers at MIT, the University of Sheffield, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have demonstrated a tiny origami robot that can unfold itself from a swallowed capsule and crawl along the stomach wall to patch a wound or remove a swallowed button battery. Every year, 3,500 swallowed button batteries are reported in the U.S. alone. The batteries can cause a chemical reaction that can lead to disfigurement and even death.
The robot propels itself chiefly through a “stick-slip” motion, in which its appendages stick to a surface through friction when it executes a move but slip free when its body flexes to change its weight distribution. It can also push against fluid like an oar.
The robot is rectangular, with accordion folds perpendicular to its long axis and pinched corners that act as points of traction. In the center of one fold is a permanent magnet that responds to changing external magnetic fields, which control the robot’s motion.
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