Design of modular deployable structure with programmable multistability

Abstract

Origami-inspired deployable structures have extreme compactness and design flexibility, suitable for aerospace structures, disaster relief robots, and medical devices. However, due to the lack of rigid-foldability, many origami applications rely on soft materials, limiting their load-bearing capacity and range of applications. To address this issue, this study proposes an origami design called Foldable Cube origami (FC-ori), which allows a cube to be rigidly folded into a square. By adding a translational degree of freedom along the rotational axis on some creases, FC-ori effectively mitigates the effects of thickness while preserving both rigid and flat foldability. By attaching various magnets and springs, an FC-ori unit can exhibit programmable multistability. Utilizing these units, we designed a modular, deployable mobile robot that can adapt to various terrains and tasks by transforming its configuration, demonstrating the potential of FC-ori in rigid origami applications.