On the first day of her Introduction to Robotics class, Cynthia Sung, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), tells students how much she enjoys the ease and efficiency of her washing machine. Then she poses a question: Is it a robot or a machine?
Sung herself defines a robot as “a machine that can think and act and react in the physical world.” Older-model washers didn’t do that, performing the same actions the same way every time as set by an outside operator.
However, today’s modern “smart” washers are able to sense the size of a load and respond with the appropriate amounts of water needed to wash and rinse, as well as determine the optimal length of the spin cycle.
“I like asking students this question because it makes them think about what components go into the field of robotics,” says Sung, who shares that most of the MEAM 5200 students conclude that the washing machine is not a robot. “This is often the students’ first class in the field, and they have to combine math, mechanics, programming and other skills they previously learned in isolation into the creation of a robot.”
Taking this prior knowledge and applying it causes students to consider the different aspects of robotics in a new light, and Sung hopes that the specific examples brought forth in class allow the students to think about these ideas much more concretely.
Unifying Factors
While traditionally robots have been built to perform a specific task, like an automated assembly line at a manufacturing plant, some contemporary robots have more loosely defined purposes. Think of a smart home system that takes in outside stimuli and responds by modifying lighting and temperature or issuing security warnings.
Further muddying the waters is artificial intelligence, which on its own and without a body is “not necessarily a robot,” Sung says, but it’s possible to use AI to drive a robot to adapt or react to environmental cues. Additionally, the field of telerobotics has “robotics” in the name, but such robots require a human operator, however distant.
“The thing that unites all of the robotic systems that we work on is really their ability to interact with and affect the physical world,” she says. “I would say the field of robotics is really about trying to figure out how to get machines to do physical interactions.”
Origami Adventures
Before diving into the work being done in Sung’s lab, it’s important to know a bit about origami, the Japanese paper-folding craft. Sung’s mother introduced her to the art form and encouraged it as a way to deal with her natural restlessness and, most likely, “as a way to distract me and keep me occupied so I didn’t bother her as much.” The first shape she learned was a flapping crane, which is similar to the traditional crane but with one less fold.
“I was fascinated by how you could fold a crane and then it could move in bird-like ways,” Sung says. “I would make it flap until it broke, and then fold a new one. I think that was actually the start of the origami robot adventure.” By college however, Sung had largely left the hobby behind, “because I thought, I’m not going to make a career out of this, right? It’s just for fun.”
She didn’t see the possibilities of linking her childhood hobby with her interest in robotics until she was working on her Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A postdoc in the same lab was interested in origami and started developing ideas for folding robot shapes. The goal: Find ways to design and build robots quickly and cheaply, making them accessible to more people.
Finding Inspiration
Robots in pop culture are traditionally defined by their hard structures and metal outlines, like Rosie from The Jetsons or C-3PO. But biology has shown that structures with a little “give” are more efficient.
“Humans have bones, but we also have tendons, muscles and other soft components,” says Sung. “When you’re running or jumping, a lot of the soft components absorb impact or help you store energy so that you can jump more effectively.”
This soft swimming robot developed by the Sung Lab uses an expanding skin and a custom actuation mechanism that allows the robot to change its body shape to ingest and expel water, creating a jet that propels it forward, mimicking the movements used by cephalopods, such as an octopus or a squid.
Using origami as inspiration for functional robots has a long way to go, but Sung is hopeful. “We’re trying to look at how we can use soft materials, how we can find inspiration and take advantage of origami, which has a lot of bending and folding involved in the paper, to be able to get that kind of softness in a robot,” Sung continues. “I’m excited about the future of our work and how we can make energy-efficient and robust robots that can move around in the real world and not just in the lab.”
So … what does she think about the washing machine? Sung tries to keep her opinions to herself in class, but …
“A washing machine, if it actually does sense and self-regulate, is a robot, but people do disagree,” she says. “There is no good, widely accepted definition right now, which is where the discussion, not necessarily the conclusion, is important.”
Story by Natalie Pompilio / Illustration by Raymond Biesinger