Origami-inspired robot can fold itself and walk away in less than 5 minutes

Origami-inspired robot can fold itself and walk away in less than 5 minutes
(Image credit: Twitter.com/DiscoverMag)

Researchers at MIT and Harvard's Wyss Institute and School of Engineering and Applied Science have created a crawling robot that is able to fold itself, which the analysts say demonstrates the potential for self-folding machines and independent assembly.

As CNET reports, there have been other origami robots made, but this is the first that can put itself together and move without the help of a human. These autonomous robots could soon be dropped into tunnels or other places where it's difficult to send a person, and assemble themselves.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.