This origami robot starts as a flat sheet, once heated the origami magic starts. Within a minute the robot folds itself to life. Once the structure is done it is ready to get to work. Thanks to a small built in magnet some external electrical fields allow the robot to vibrate around and get to work. It is very insect like in its movements and can actually get some productive work accomplished.
“The unfolded robot, which is made of a magnet and PVC sandwiched between laser-cut structural layers (polystyrene or paper), weighs just 0.31 g and measures 1.7 cm on a side. Once placed on a heating element, the PVC contracts, and where the structural layers have been cut, it creates folds. In under a minute, the robot is finished, and is ready to go, zipping around at speeds of between 3 and 4 cm/s.”
Via: TechnaBob