Single-vertex origami for multimodal locomotion

The ancient art of origami provides an ideal platform for the design of reconfigurable systems, since a myriad of shapes can be achieved by actively folding thin sheets along pre-defined creases. Here, we focus on one of the simplest building blocks of origami-based materials - the rigid, degree-four vertex - and investigate its interactions with a flat surface. We show that by introducing asymmetry through the arrangement of the folds, we can realize asymmetric frictional forces that enable locomotion. We first investigate how the geometry of the degree-four vertex affects locomotion and then exploit these findings to realize an origami crawler capable of moving along arbitrary trajectories.