Pop-up fabrication of a flapping-wing robot
November 18, 2011 7:42 AM   Subscribe

 
that was Very Cool!
posted by rebent at 7:56 AM on November 18, 2011


Well that's good. One step closer to self-assembling swarms of robot bees!
posted by cmoj at 7:58 AM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


One step closer to self-assembling swarms of robot bees!

We could use them to pollenize crops when all the real bees die.
posted by empath at 8:04 AM on November 18, 2011 [4 favorites]


Wow. I was going to comment that limiting themselves to "pureland" origami was...limiting themselves, but actually you could have more than one fold could be done if you had multiple fold comm channels.
posted by DU at 8:09 AM on November 18, 2011


The Harvard Monolithic Bee would be an awesome:
1) Band name
2) Prophesied sign of the end of the world
3) Complicated gambit in an esoteric sport
posted by blahblahblah at 8:09 AM on November 18, 2011 [6 favorites]


Popping and locking, like a Bee-boy, yo!

(Seriously, very cool.)
posted by Samizdata at 8:25 AM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


This stimulates my flying toy, popup book, robotics, mechanical linkage, and science fiction pleasure centers all at once. Nerdgasm!
posted by CaseyB at 8:36 AM on November 18, 2011 [2 favorites]


The bee is predominantly fabricated out of carbon fiber, but the process of 'locking' immerses the framework in liquid metal solder - why doesn't that process melt the polymers (epoxy?) in the carbon fiber?
posted by the painkiller at 8:36 AM on November 18, 2011


thepainkiller: why doesn't that process melt the polymers (epoxy?) in the carbon fiber

First of all, epoxy doesn't melt. It's a thermoset, so it can't be liquified, only burned. Secondly, epoxies are good to above 200 degC (you can get high temperature chemistries that are good to 300 C), while solder melts around 190 C.
posted by Popular Ethics at 8:53 AM on November 18, 2011


It was all so amazing that, at the end, I was half expecting the damn thing to actually fly.
posted by benito.strauss at 8:55 AM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


At first I was frightened by these tiny robots, but then realized they are only interested in our coins. I, for one, will NOT be cashing in these soon-to-be valuable assets anytime soon.
posted by orme at 8:58 AM on November 18, 2011 [2 favorites]


That was really interesting. I didn't know laser cutters could make such fine cuts.

I assume you need a special laser cutter for that kind of precision? Not the regular kind that is starting to become affordable?
posted by -harlequin- at 8:59 AM on November 18, 2011


It looks like the same people will also soon be bringing this to your crawly nightmares.
posted by benito.strauss at 8:59 AM on November 18, 2011


It's funny, but I think what they're doing in terms of miniature assembly is more interesting and productive than what they're doing in terms of flight. I guess that's not unusual though - in order to solve a problem, you end up figuring a way around an obstacle, and the solution you come up with ends up having other application.
posted by -harlequin- at 9:01 AM on November 18, 2011


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