News by Levels · Level 2 · Student worksheet

Folds Help a Small Robot Change Its Movement

In this lesson: Connect magnetic inputs to actions and compare field requirements.

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________

Read the story

Researchers at Wuhan University have demonstrated a small robot inspired by origami, the art of folding. Its body can hold two stable shapes.

Small changes in a magnetic field make the body move. A stronger magnetic pulse can switch its shape and help it grip an object. In tests, the robot also crawled, turned, jumped and rolled.

The study, published on November 6, shows how the folded structure helps control movement. Unlike many magnetic mini-robots, this design does not need a highly uniform magnetic field.

Source: Huang and colleagues / Nature Communications; adapted under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), 2026-11-06. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-79010-w

Read and practise

1. How can a stronger magnetic pulse help the robot handle an object?

   1. By keeping its shape fixed while it moves
   2. By changing its shape so it can grip
   3. By changing direction without changing its shape

2. How does this design differ from many magnetic mini-robots?

   1. It needs no magnetic field at all.
   2. It needs a more uniform field than the others.
   3. It does not need a highly uniform field.

Your turn

Describe what small field changes do and what a stronger pulse can do.

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Read online: https://newsbylevels.com/news/folding-origami-robot-magnetic-motion-november-2026/level-2/