WEBVTT 00:00:01.944 --> 00:00:05.665 As a roboticist, I get asked a lot of questions. 00:00:05.689 --> 00:00:07.993 "When we will they start serving me breakfast?" 00:00:09.049 --> 00:00:13.725 So I thought the future of robotics would be looking more like us. 00:00:16.114 --> 00:00:17.788 I thought they would look like me, 00:00:17.812 --> 00:00:21.559 so I built eyes that would simulate my eyes. 00:00:22.813 --> 00:00:27.869 I built fingers that are dextrous enough to serve me ... 00:00:27.893 --> 00:00:29.083 baseballs. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:31.837 --> 00:00:33.854 Classical robots like this 00:00:33.878 --> 00:00:37.054 are built and become functional 00:00:37.078 --> 00:00:40.276 based on the fixed number of joints and actuators. 00:00:40.780 --> 00:00:45.115 And this means their functionality and shape are already fixed 00:00:45.139 --> 00:00:46.970 at the moment of their conception. 00:00:47.490 --> 00:00:50.357 So even though this arm has a really nice throw -- 00:00:50.381 --> 00:00:52.812 it even hit the tripod at the end-- 00:00:54.015 --> 00:00:57.178 it's not meant for cooking you breakfast per se. 00:00:57.202 --> 00:01:00.839 It's not really suited for scrambled eggs. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:00.863 --> 00:01:05.188 So this was when I was hit by a new vision of future robotics: 00:01:06.101 --> 00:01:07.861 the transformers. 00:01:08.989 --> 00:01:11.536 They drive, they run, they fly, 00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:16.429 all depending on the ever-changing, new environment and task at hand. 00:01:17.267 --> 00:01:19.048 To make this a reality, 00:01:19.072 --> 00:01:22.363 you really have to rethink how robots are designed. 00:01:23.448 --> 00:01:27.462 So, imagine a robotic module in a polygon shape 00:01:27.486 --> 00:01:29.565 and using that simple polygon shape 00:01:29.589 --> 00:01:32.627 to reconstruct multiple different forms 00:01:32.651 --> 00:01:36.941 to create a new form of robot for different tasks. 00:01:37.528 --> 00:01:41.231 In CG, computer graphics, it's not any news -- 00:01:41.255 --> 00:01:44.686 it's been done for a while, and that's how most of the movies are made. 00:01:44.710 --> 00:01:48.580 But if you're trying to make a robot that's physically moving, 00:01:48.604 --> 00:01:50.180 it's a completely new story. 00:01:50.691 --> 00:01:52.720 It's a completely new paradigm. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:54.307 --> 00:01:56.100 But you've all done this. 00:01:57.434 --> 00:02:02.742 Who hasn't made a paper airplane, paper boat, paper crane? 00:02:03.893 --> 00:02:07.737 Origami is a versatile platform for designers. 00:02:07.761 --> 00:02:11.837 From a single sheet of paper, you can make multiple shapes, 00:02:11.861 --> 00:02:15.255 and if you don't like it, you unfold and fold back again. 00:02:15.947 --> 00:02:21.963 Any 3D form can be made from 2D surfaces by folding, 00:02:21.987 --> 00:02:24.516 and this is proven mathematically. 00:02:26.555 --> 00:02:30.963 And imagine if you were to have an intelligent sheet 00:02:30.987 --> 00:02:34.546 that can self-fold into any form it wants, 00:02:34.570 --> 00:02:35.793 anytime. 00:02:36.322 --> 00:02:38.576 And that's what I've been working on. 00:02:38.600 --> 00:02:41.782 I call this robotic origami, 00:02:41.806 --> 00:02:43.304 "robogami." NOTE Paragraph 00:02:45.387 --> 00:02:48.907 This is our first robogami transformation 00:02:48.931 --> 00:02:52.240 that was made by me about 10 years ago. 00:02:52.264 --> 00:02:54.031 From a flat-sheeted robot, 00:02:54.055 --> 00:02:57.002 it turns into a pyramid and back into a flat sheet 00:02:57.026 --> 00:02:59.799 and into a space shuttle. 00:03:00.822 --> 00:03:02.063 Quite cute. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:02.789 --> 00:03:09.659 Ten years later, with my group of ninja origami robotic researchers -- 00:03:09.683 --> 00:03:11.581 about 22 of them right now -- 00:03:12.332 --> 00:03:15.740 we have a new generation of robogamis, 00:03:15.764 --> 00:03:19.075 and they're a little more effective and they do more than that. 00:03:20.105 --> 00:03:23.388 So the new generation of robogamis actually serve a purpose. 00:03:23.412 --> 00:03:28.611 For example, this one actually navigates through different terrains autonomously. 00:03:28.635 --> 00:03:31.970 So when it's a dry and flat land, it crawls. 00:03:34.256 --> 00:03:36.735 And if it meets sudden rough terrain, 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:37.996 it starts rolling. 00:03:38.020 --> 00:03:40.472 It does this -- it's the same robot -- 00:03:40.496 --> 00:03:43.519 but depending on which terrain it meets, 00:03:43.543 --> 00:03:48.308 it activates a different sequence of actuators that's on board. 00:03:50.459 --> 00:03:53.739 And once it meets an obstacle, it jumps over it. 00:03:55.485 --> 00:03:58.861 It does this by storing energy in each of its legs 00:03:58.885 --> 00:04:02.761 and releasing it and catapulting like a slingshot. 00:04:02.785 --> 00:04:04.672 And it even does gymnastics. 00:04:05.688 --> 00:04:06.859 Yay. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:06.883 --> 00:04:08.320 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:04:08.828 --> 00:04:13.005 So I just showed you what a single robogami can do. 00:04:13.029 --> 00:04:15.814 Imagine what they can do as a group. 00:04:15.838 --> 00:04:19.860 They can join forces to tackle more complex tasks. 00:04:19.884 --> 00:04:23.046 Each module, either active or passive, 00:04:23.070 --> 00:04:26.637 we can assemble them to create different shapes. 00:04:26.661 --> 00:04:29.410 Not only that, by controlling the folding joints, 00:04:29.434 --> 00:04:33.982 we're able to create and attack different tasks. 00:04:34.006 --> 00:04:37.181 The form is making new task space. 00:04:37.736 --> 00:04:41.575 And this time, what's most important is the assembly. 00:04:42.192 --> 00:04:46.376 They need to autonomously find each other in a different space, 00:04:46.400 --> 00:04:50.690 attach and detach, depending on the environment and task. 00:04:51.616 --> 00:04:53.675 And we can do this now. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:54.412 --> 00:04:55.839 So what's next? 00:04:55.863 --> 00:04:57.173 Our imagination. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:57.704 --> 00:05:00.105 This is a simulation of what you can achieve 00:05:00.129 --> 00:05:01.786 with this type of module. 00:05:01.810 --> 00:05:04.982 We decided that we were going to have a four-legged crawler 00:05:06.870 --> 00:05:10.049 turn into a little dog and make small gaits. 00:05:10.073 --> 00:05:13.907 With the same module, we can actually make it do something else: 00:05:13.931 --> 00:05:17.349 a manipulator, a typical, classical robotic task. 00:05:17.373 --> 00:05:20.072 So with a manipulator, it can pick up an object. 00:05:20.096 --> 00:05:24.140 Of course, you can add more modules to make the manipulator legs longer 00:05:24.164 --> 00:05:27.887 to attack or pick up objects that are bigger or smaller, 00:05:27.911 --> 00:05:29.677 or even have a third arm. 00:05:31.545 --> 00:05:35.906 For robogamis, there's no one fixed shape nor task. 00:05:36.628 --> 00:05:40.928 They can transform into anything, anywhere, anytime. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:42.408 --> 00:05:45.084 So how do you make them? 00:05:45.108 --> 00:05:50.425 The biggest technical challenge of robogami is keeping them super thin, 00:05:50.449 --> 00:05:51.600 flexible, 00:05:51.624 --> 00:05:53.838 but still remaining functional. 00:05:54.562 --> 00:05:58.374 They're composed of multiple layers of circuits, motors, 00:05:58.398 --> 00:06:00.816 microcontrollers and sensors, 00:06:00.840 --> 00:06:02.694 all in the single body, 00:06:02.718 --> 00:06:06.039 and when you control individual folding joints, 00:06:06.063 --> 00:06:09.589 you'll be able to achieve soft motions like that 00:06:09.613 --> 00:06:11.093 upon your command. 00:06:14.013 --> 00:06:18.872 Instead of being a single robot that is specifically made for a single task, 00:06:18.896 --> 00:06:22.791 robogamis are optimized to do multi-tasks. 00:06:23.366 --> 00:06:25.123 And this is quite important 00:06:25.147 --> 00:06:28.978 for the difficult and unique environments on the Earth 00:06:29.002 --> 00:06:31.967 as well as in space. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:33.782 --> 00:06:36.956 Space is a perfect environment for robogamis. 00:06:37.673 --> 00:06:41.806 You cannot afford to have one robot for one task. 00:06:42.966 --> 00:06:46.302 Who knows how many tasks you will encounter in space? 00:06:46.846 --> 00:06:53.805 What you want is a single robotic platform that can transform to do multi-tasks. 00:06:55.188 --> 00:07:00.300 What we want is a deck of thin robogami modules 00:07:00.324 --> 00:07:04.695 that can transform to do multiples of performing tasks. 00:07:06.322 --> 00:07:09.532 And don't take my word for it, 00:07:09.556 --> 00:07:12.592 because the European Space Agency and Swiss Space Center 00:07:12.616 --> 00:07:14.876 are sponsoring this exact concept. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:15.562 --> 00:07:20.607 So here you see a couple of images of reconfiguration of robogamis, 00:07:20.631 --> 00:07:24.409 exploring the foreign land aboveground, on the surface, 00:07:24.433 --> 00:07:26.355 as well as digging into the surface. 00:07:27.117 --> 00:07:29.196 It's not just exploration. 00:07:29.220 --> 00:07:31.808 For astronauts, they need additional help, 00:07:31.832 --> 00:07:34.666 because you cannot afford to bring interns up there, either. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:34.690 --> 00:07:35.872 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:07:36.357 --> 00:07:39.238 They have to do every tedious task. 00:07:39.262 --> 00:07:40.480 They may be simple, 00:07:40.504 --> 00:07:42.115 but super interactive. 00:07:42.762 --> 00:07:46.174 So you need robots to facilitate their experiments, 00:07:46.198 --> 00:07:48.509 assisting them with the communications 00:07:48.533 --> 00:07:53.785 and just docking onto surfaces to be their third arm holding different tools. 00:07:55.245 --> 00:07:58.378 But how will they be able to control robogamis, for example, 00:07:58.402 --> 00:07:59.955 outside the space station? 00:07:59.979 --> 00:08:04.016 In this case, I show a robogami that is holding space debris. 00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:07.644 You can work with your vision so that you can control them, 00:08:07.668 --> 00:08:12.130 but what would be better is having the sensation of touch 00:08:12.154 --> 00:08:15.757 directly transported onto the hands of the astronauts. 00:08:16.248 --> 00:08:18.671 And what you need is a haptic device, 00:08:18.695 --> 00:08:22.403 a haptic interface that recreates the sensation of touch. 00:08:23.051 --> 00:08:25.575 And using robogamis, we can do this. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:27.276 --> 00:08:31.424 This is the world's smallest haptic interface 00:08:32.316 --> 00:08:37.505 that can recreate a sensation of touch just underneath your fingertip. 00:08:38.104 --> 00:08:40.681 We do this by moving the robogami 00:08:40.705 --> 00:08:45.216 by microscopic and macroscopic movements at the stage. 00:08:45.812 --> 00:08:49.442 And by having this, not only will you be able to feel 00:08:49.466 --> 00:08:51.205 how big the object is, 00:08:51.229 --> 00:08:54.115 the roundness and the lines, 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:57.702 but also the stiffness and the texture. 00:08:59.019 --> 00:09:03.008 Alex has this interface just underneath his thumb, 00:09:03.032 --> 00:09:07.844 and if he were to use this with VR goggles and hand controllers, 00:09:07.868 --> 00:09:11.497 now the virtual reality is no longer virtual. 00:09:11.521 --> 00:09:13.789 It becomes a tangible reality. 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:20.216 The blue ball, red ball and black ball that he's looking at 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:22.706 is no longer differentiated by colors. 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:28.041 Now it is a rubber blue ball, sponge red ball and billiard black ball. 00:09:28.642 --> 00:09:30.352 This is now possible. 00:09:31.263 --> 00:09:32.465 Let me show you. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:34.150 --> 00:09:38.319 This is really the first time this is shown live 00:09:38.343 --> 00:09:41.189 in front of a public grand audience, 00:09:41.213 --> 00:09:43.041 so hopefully this works. 00:09:43.668 --> 00:09:47.969 So what you see here is an atlas of anatomy 00:09:47.993 --> 00:09:50.786 and the robogami haptic interface. 00:09:50.810 --> 00:09:53.355 So, like all the other reconfigurable robots, 00:09:53.379 --> 00:09:54.554 it multitasks. 00:09:54.578 --> 00:09:56.601 Not only is it going to serve as a mouse, 00:09:56.625 --> 00:09:58.990 but also a haptic interface. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:59.381 --> 00:10:03.155 So for example, we have a white background where there is no object. 00:10:03.179 --> 00:10:05.231 That means there is nothing to feel, 00:10:05.255 --> 00:10:08.967 so we can have a very, very flexible interface. 00:10:09.352 --> 00:10:12.504 Now, I use this as a mouse to approach skin, 00:10:12.528 --> 00:10:13.791 a muscular arm, 00:10:13.815 --> 00:10:15.831 so now let's feel his biceps, 00:10:15.855 --> 00:10:17.343 or shoulders. 00:10:17.367 --> 00:10:20.377 So now you see how much stiffer it becomes. 00:10:20.401 --> 00:10:21.772 Let's explore even more. 00:10:21.796 --> 00:10:24.706 Let's approach the ribcage. 00:10:24.730 --> 00:10:27.292 And as soon as I move on top of the ribcage 00:10:27.316 --> 00:10:29.601 and between the intercostal muscles, 00:10:29.625 --> 00:10:31.174 which is softer and harder, 00:10:31.198 --> 00:10:33.434 I can feel the difference of the stiffness. 00:10:33.458 --> 00:10:34.784 Take my word for it. 00:10:34.808 --> 00:10:39.011 So now you see, it's much stiffer in terms of the force 00:10:39.035 --> 00:10:40.880 it's giving back to my fingertip. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:41.822 --> 00:10:45.800 So I showed you the surfaces that aren't moving. 00:10:45.824 --> 00:10:49.377 How about if I were to approach something that moves, 00:10:49.401 --> 00:10:51.468 for example, like a beating heart? 00:10:51.492 --> 00:10:52.887 What would I feel? NOTE Paragraph 00:10:59.573 --> 00:11:05.719 (Applause) NOTE Paragraph 00:11:07.158 --> 00:11:09.451 This can be your beating heart. 00:11:10.010 --> 00:11:13.620 This can actually be inside your pocket 00:11:13.644 --> 00:11:15.409 while you're shopping online. 00:11:16.361 --> 00:11:20.150 Now you'll be able to feel the difference of the sweater that you're buying, 00:11:20.174 --> 00:11:21.396 how soft it is, 00:11:21.420 --> 00:11:24.256 if it's actually cashmere or not, 00:11:24.280 --> 00:11:26.336 or the bagel that you're trying to buy, 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:29.428 how hard it is or how crispy it is. 00:11:30.229 --> 00:11:31.965 This is now possible. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:34.774 --> 00:11:40.586 The robotics technology is advancing to be more personalized and adaptive, 00:11:40.610 --> 00:11:43.714 to adapt to our everyday needs. 00:11:44.457 --> 00:11:48.082 This unique specie of reconfigurable robotics 00:11:48.106 --> 00:11:54.084 is actually the platform to provide this invisible, intuitive interface 00:11:54.108 --> 00:11:56.600 to meet our exact needs. 00:11:58.169 --> 00:12:02.175 These robots will no longer look like the characters from the movies. 00:12:02.843 --> 00:12:06.691 Instead, they will be whatever you want them to be. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:07.223 --> 00:12:08.429 Thank you. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:08.453 --> 00:12:12.051 (Applause)