How Japanese Kirigami Art Helped Harvard University Scientists to Build a Snake-inspired Robot

Last year, Harvard University scientists demonstrated a soft SEAS robot, designed as a snake. It was recently announced that the robot had been improved. It is noteworthy that researchers borrowed some of their ideas from kirigami, a Japanese 3-dimensional paper-cutting paper craft.

The improvements concerned the machine’s locomotion system: the robot started moving faster with improved accuracy. SEAS moves exactly like a snake: its skin scales grip the surface pulling the body forward. The researchers managed to achieve this effect by applying the principles of Japanese kirigami art, i.e. that is, making cuts on the machine’s cover. As a result, SEAS’s movements have become almost identical to those of a real snake.

The robot is powered by a tube-like elastomer actuator equipped with an air supply system. According to researchers, snake-shaped robots are quite a promising robotics area that has a great number of potential applications, for example, to perform laparoscopic surgeries.