Lula the paper robot
Lula is a quadruped inspired by insect gaits, navigating with IR sensors that adjust her stride when she meets an obstacle. Built in 10 weeks for the Informal Robotics course at Harvard GSD, she’s made from paper and other commonly found materials.
rapid prototyping at low cost
- robotics
- hardware
- mechanics
- Harvard GSD
Mechanics
Inspired by origami, Lula’s movement in her hips and knees is created with parallel bar hinges and single folds. Her muscles are wires and elastic bands and her exoskeleton is made of laminated paper with pieces of acrylic. She walks with the help of a microcontroller and three servo motors.
Lula in action
Yona
We tried to get as close to an insect as possible — shrinking our designs to a diminutive 5.25” we gave our girl a little sister Yona.
Process
Before Lula there were 22 prototypes that didn’t make the cut. Other casualties included: 3 burned Arduinos, 5 broken servo motors, and 1 fried battery charger. The record number of limbs made in a day is 8.
