Mechanically programmed self-folding at the millimeter scale

We adapted our earlier work on shape memory composites to millimeter-scale features. The self-folding pattern is mechanically programmed into the composite during fabrication, and folding is activated by heating the composite. We show that this technique is capable of feature sizes ranging from 1 to 20 mm, and can create both shapes and mechanisms.We demonstrate this with two self-folding pieces: a cube and a spherical five-bar linkage. These results demonstrate the potential for self-folding systems to be integrated with MEMS fabrication techniques to produce complex devices.

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