It can be pretty difficult to see the transformation process of the Transformers between their vehicle and humanoid forms on the silver screen, since the action is moving along at such a fast pace, the eye loses track easily. Well, not so with this $100 robot that is capable of “building” itself. Once the small batteries and motors have been installed, the robot will spring to life, standing on the quartet of its short legs before it scoots about, slowly transforming from being a flat “paper” into a jitterbugging robot – taking four minutes or so to get the job done. Surely this is no Autobot or Decepticon, but it is an interesting proof of concept that might change the way robots and future gadgets work.
Taking a page out of the ancient Japanese art of origami, one of the more practical, money making activity that such a robot is capable of would be to have it released in the form of a toy. This origami robot is the brainchild of scientists and engineers at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the team intends to make sure robots in the fastest manner possible – without breaking the bank along the way, of course. Do you think such a toy will sell like hot cakes?
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