The Deformable Wheel Robot Using Magic-Ball Origami Structure

Abstract

In this paper, we present a deformable wheel robot using the ball-shaped waterbomb origami pattern, so-called magic-ball pattern. The magic-ball origami pattern is a well-known pattern that changes its shape from a long cylindrical tube to a flat circular tube. By using this special structure, a wheel with mechanical functionalities can be achieved without using many mechanical parts. Moreover, because of the characteristic that the structure constrains its own movement, it is possible to control the whole shape of the wheel using only few actuators. And also, from analysis of the wheel structure in kinematic model, the performance of the wheel and determine the condition for actuators can be predicted. We think that the proposed design for the deformable wheel shows the possibility of using origami structure as a functional structure with its own mechanism.