Designing Drop-to-deploy Mechanism with Bistable Scissors Structures

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Deployable structures, known for their versatility in product design, morphing architecture, robotics, and HCI applications like shape-changing interfaces or haptic devices, often rely on complex deployment mechanisms such as pneumatic pumps, electric motors, or manual assembly. These conventional methods can be bulky and unwieldy for everyday objects and daily use. We introduce a new class of deployable structures that harness the locomotion of a single bistable cap to drive the expansion of attached scissor mechanism structures. Such structures can be rapidly deployed (0.2-0.7s), stabilized upon contact with the target surface (mainly the ground), and require no sustained energy input. We explore various input modalities for deployment including hand-throwing, dropping, and drone deployment, and showcase their diverse applications. Additionally, we provide a computational design tool for customizing different shape primitives and offer design guidelines for fabrication.