An incredible functioning "transformer robot" made from a little more than a sheet of paper and plastic scraps has been crafted by researchers from MIT and Harvard University.

Using the Japanese paper-folding art origami, a team of engineers and researchers created the first robot that can fold itself into arbitrary shapes without any intervention from a human operator.

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As soon as batteries are attached to it, a seemingly flat sheet of paper transforms into a complex machine with four legs and starts crawling away in a span of just four minutes.

The exciting thing about the device is when it thoughtfully rises from the ground  and transforms into a three dimensional object, said by Professor Daniela Rus of the MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Division.

It's been noted before that paper folding has interesting mechanical properties.

The paper used to make the robot was embedded with computer software programmed to create folding patterns that can turn into basically any design.

Layers of a different type of plastic that shrink when heated were also used in the design. Researchers inserted microprocessors into those parts of the plastic they intended as joints to allow the robot to bend as it reconfigures.

When the plastic absorbs heat from the circuit, the robot is pulled into its final shape. Powered by a battery and motor, the robot then starts to crawl away.

Interestingly, this new robotic technology cost only US$100.

The latest milestone was reported in the August 7 issue of the online journal Science.

The scientific paper was authored by Rus, another MIT colleague and three other researchers at Harvard's Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The technology could have a major influence on manufacturing processes since it could rapidly speed-up production that requires time-consuming manual configuration.

Rus said their big dream is to make the fabrication of these robots fast and cheap.

Meanwhile, researchers are expected to unveil another experimental origami machine, the 5 millimeter self-folding cube, in an automation convention in Taiwan next week.  

TagsDaniela Rus, Harvard's Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Division, Origami, Paper robots