Korean researchers took inspiration from the scales and stretchy skin of a snake to create a battery based on origami-like folds. It can extend and deform and is intended in particular for soft robots.
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The best innovations most often come from observing nature. This is the case of a new battery developed by Korean researchers who were inspired snakes. In an article published in the journal Soft Robotics, they describe their battery designed to mimic scales.
Snakes can wave and even eat prey larger than themselves thanks to supple skin with folds under their scales, which can stretch when needed. It is this mechanism that the researchers wanted to recreate. Rather than conceive a battery compact with flexible materials, they assembled a large number of small batteries connected by bendable connectors.
A battery designed for soft robotics
The researchers opted for hexagonal shaped batteries with connectors made from a mixture of a polymer and of copper connected to the batteries with a hinge system. This structure can be produced by mass through a process inspired by l’origami. The assembly can thus be folded up and unfolded to adapt to movements and deformations of the device that it supplies without losing power.
According to the researchers, this battery would make it possible to create connected accessories and foldable medical devices, more suitable for humans. It would be particularly suitable for robots mous, capable of exploring extreme environments such as space and the deep sea, or even intervening in rescue operations.
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