Comparative Study of Mechanical Scaling Effects of Origami-Inspired Motion Generation Mechanisms with Multi-Degree Vertices

Origami exhibits the remarkable ability to transform into diverse shapes, including quadrilaterals, triangles, and more complex polygons. This unique property has inspired the integration of origami principles into engineering design, particularly in the development of foldable mechanisms. In the field of robotics, when combined with actuators, these foldable mechanisms are referred to as active origami. Origami-based mechanisms play a pivotal role as versatile end effectors or grippers, enabling them to accurately trace desired trajectories. The performance of these mechanisms heavily relies on their specific fold patterns. To shed light on their capabilities, this study focuses on five representative structures using spherical mechanisms: oriceps, Miura ori, MACIOR, and two hexagonal structures. To assess their potential, a comparative analysis is conducted, evaluating their kinematic and scaling performances. The analysis employs the “scaling factor” as a metric, which quantifies the mechanical advantage of these mechanisms. This metric aids in the selection of appropriate structures for various applications.