Mechanical Sciences
Mechanical Sciences
Mechanical Sciences
Articles | Volume 17, issue 1
Articles | Volume 17, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/ms-17-645-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/ms-17-645-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 17, issue 1
Research article
 | 
29 May 2026
Research article |  | 29 May 2026

Design and kinematic analysis of a Miura-oriented origami continuum space manipulator with deployable bending capability

Ruiwei Liu, Manjia Su, Jinhui Zhou, Mengyu Zhong, Kengyi Wang, Hongwei Guo, Chunlong Wang, and Haoyu Yang

Cited articles

Botta, E. M., Sharf, I., and Misra, A. K.: Simulation of tether-nets for capture of space debris and small asteroids, Acta Astronaut., 155, 448–461, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.07.046, 2018. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i
Chen, W. H., Misra, S., Gao, Y., Lee, Y. J., Koditschek, D. E., Yang, S., and Sung, C. R.: A Programmably Compliant Origami Mechanism for Dynamically Dexterous Robots, IEEE Robot. Auto. Lett., 5, 2131–2137, https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2020.2970637, 2020. a, b, c, d, e, f, g
Chen, Y., Feng, H., Ma, J., Peng, R., and You, Z.: Symmetric waterbomb origami, P. Roy. Soc. A-Math. Phy., 472, 20150846, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2015.0846, 2016.  a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h
Debus, T. and Dougherty, S.: Overview and performance of the Front-End Robotics Enabling Near-Term demonstration (FREND) robotic arm, Proceedings of the AIAA Infotech@Aerospace Conference, Seattle, Washington, https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2009-1870, 2009. a, b
Fang, H., Wu, H., Liu, Z., Zhang, Y., and Wang, K.: Advances in the Dynamics of Origami Structures and Origami Metamaterials, Chinese J. Theor. Appl. Mechan., 54, 1–38, https://doi.org/10.6052/0459-1879-21-478, 2022. a, b, c
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Short summary
We developed an origami-inspired robotic gripper to solve the challenge of capturing irregular space debris. The design combines compact foldability for launch with controlled, flexible bending to adapt to different shapes. We built and tested a prototype, showing it can accurately position itself, securely wrap around various objects, and hold payloads reliably. These results confirm the gripper’s effectiveness, offering a promising new solution for safe space debris capture.
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