The intent of this workshop is to spread the techniques and applications of foldable robots, and encourage their use in research and education. Origami has a long history in art, mathematics, and biology, and similar folding techniques have produced exciting advances in design and fabrication. This has resulted in structures that can drastically change their size, algorithms that generate origami folds to approximate any shape, and self-folding sheets that autonomously transform into 3D structures.

These techniques are now applied to a variety of challenges in robotics: microrobots harness laminate fabrication and pop-up assembly to automate the fabrication of complex centimeter scale machines; satellites can be folded into small packages and then unfolded in space; origami mechanisms are capable of complex and functional behaviors; and soft robots can be built from flexible planar materials.

In addition to being a rapidly evolving field in its own right, foldable robotics is also used by many researchers as a practical and inexpensive means to create platforms for other research. Swarms of robots can be built cheaply and in parallel, while educational robots can be customized with inexpensive tools for a variety of lessons. We have gathered a group of speakers with first-hand experience building and using folded and laminate machines to provide a comprehensive overview of existing design and fabrication techniques. Researchers unfamiliar with the field will quickly learn the basics, and experienced designers will share and discuss the latest methods and research.