The Rollbot (VIDEO)

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Caption

The self-propelling Rollbot begins as a flat sheet, about 8 centimeters long and 4 centimeters wide, and curls into a pentagonal wheel when placed on a hot surface. Hinges embedded on each of the five sides of the wheel folds when in contact with the surface, propelling the wheel to turn to the next side. As the hinges roll off the hot surface, they unfold and are ready for the next cycle.

Credit

(Video courtesy of Lori Sanders/Harvard SEAS)

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