Origami has inspired novel solutions across myriad fields from DNA synthesis to robotics. Even wider impact can be achieved by active origami, which can move and change shape independently. However, current active origami and the materials that power it are both limited in terms of strength, speed, and strain. Here, we introduce an electrostatic active origami concept, electro-origami, that overcomes these limitations and allows for simple, inexpensive, lightweight, efficient, powerful, and scalable electronic actuators and lightweight and thin robots. The simplest embodiment of electro-origami, electro-ribbon actuators, can be easily fabricated from any combination of conducting and insulating material. We present electro-ribbon actuators that can lift 1000 times their own weight, contract by 99.8% of their length, and deliver specific energy and specific power equivalent to muscle. We demonstrate their versatility in high-stroke and high-force morphologies, multiactuator lattices, 3D-printed and paper actuators, self-twisting spirals, and tensile elements inspired by spider silk. More complex electro-origami devices include solenoids, adaptive grippers, robotic cilia, locomoting robots, self-packing deployable structures, origami artificial muscles, and dynamic origami art.

Soft robotics has applications in myriad fields from assistive wearables to autonomous exploration. Now, the portability and the performance of many devices are limited by their associated pneumatic energy source, requiring either large, heavy pressure vessels or noisy, inefficient air pumps. Here, we present a lightweight, flexible, electro-pneumatic pump (EPP), which can silently control volume and pressure, enabling portable, local energy provision for soft robots, overcoming the limitations of existing pneumatic power sources. The EPP is actuated using dielectric fluid–amplified electrostatic zipping, and the device presented here can exert pressures up to 2.34 kilopascals and deliver volumetric flow rates up to 161 milliliters per second and under 0.5 watts of power, despite only having a thickness of 1.1 millimeters and weight of 5.3 grams. An EPP was able to drive a typical soft robotic actuator to achieve a maximum contraction change of 32.40% and actuation velocity of 54.43% per second. We highlight the versatility of this technology by presenting three EPP-driven embodiments: an antagonistic mechanism, an arm-flexing wearable robotic device, and a continuous-pumping system. This work shows the wide applicability of the EPP to enable advanced wearable assistive devices and lightweight, mobile, multifunctional robots.

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