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In the Media

Media Outlet:
United Press International (UPI)
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“When it comes out of the 3D printer, the robot is just a sheet made of a polymer called polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. The sheet is sandwiched between two rigid polyester films. Slits cut into the films affect how the PVC sheet will fold when it is heated,” writes UPI reporter Brooks Hays of new work with self-assembling robots. 

Related News

Before-and-after stills from the video "An End-to-End Approach to Making Self-Folded 3D Surface Shapes by Uniform Heating." The left image shows the self-folding sheet for a humanoid shape, while the right image shows the completed self-folded humanoid shape.

Bake your own robot

New algorithms and electronic components could enable printable robots that self-assemble when heated.