Mechanics Analysis of Functional Origamis Applicable in Biomedical Robots

Abstract

The origami principle of folding planar sheets into functional three-dimensional devices promises a future with increased compactness and reconfigurability of biomedical robots. To inspire new origami-based biomedical robots, we highlight two categories of origami patterns that are applicable to build compact actuators, deployable stents, and minimally invasive surgery devices. Due to the requirements in system integration, biocompatibility, and payload capability, the conventional paper-based origamis are converted to physical robots by replacing the zero-thickness facets and zero-width folds with thick panels and flexible hinges, respectively. Therefore, the physical origami-based robots become inhomogeneous, making it more complex and challenging to analyze their mechanics. So far, no such model can analyze the mechanics of any physical origami robot. Herein, we propose a computational model that discretizes the continuous structures into truss and spring elements to fulfill this goal. Based on the model, we simulate the identified origami structures under various boundary conditions to investigate their application in biomedical scenarios. This article is expected to accelerate the design iteration of new functional biomedical origami robots.