Printable robots are those that
can be assembled from parts produced by 3D printers and have long been a topic
of research at MIT. Researchers demonstrate the promise of printable robotic
components that, when heated, automatically fold into prescribed 3D configurations.
The initial work is a system that
takes a digital specification of a 3D shape and generates the 2D patterns that
would enable a piece of plastic to reproduce it through self-folding. In their
later work, researchers present designs for resistors, inductors, and
capacitors, as well as sensors and actuators.
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