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Tiny origami robot can do just about anything — VIDEO

This little guy is about to impress you. It’s able to fold itself, walk, swim, carry things and even degrade into nothingness.

The little origami robot is cool. Made from a laser-cut, 1.7 cm-square piece of paper, the robot was developed by researchers from MIT and demonstrated at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

In under a (sped up) minute, the device is able to fold itself into its robot form and zips around like a little bug. The video posted by IEEE Spectrum, does a good job showing all that it can do, such as walking on a trajectory, carrying loads double its own weight and fitting a block into place.

Its movement is caused by the magnet which serves as the core of the tiny device. It then oscillates, and through the alternating legs and shape of the design, it is able to walk and move about.

The video then shows the robot completely dissolve in a tank of acetone.

It’s all pretty fancy, but it gets even better when your imagination takes control and thinks up the possibilities that something this small can open up.

All those futuristic movies with microbots working medical wonders within your body come to mind. Maybe even something as fancy as what was seen in “Big Hero 6.” But that’s a really big maybe.

However, this tiny little origami robot could just be the first baby step toward that kind of sci-fi future.

Contact Ron Paul Gavino at rgavino@reviewjournal.com. Find him on Twitter: @rp_gavino.

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