WASHINGTON: Researchers have designed origami-inspired structures that are flexible and yet strong and sturdy.
AsianScientist (Sep. 9, 2015) – Researchers from the University of Tokyo, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new ‘zippered tube’ configuration that makes paper structures that are stiff enough to hold weight yet can fold flat for easy shipping and storage.
Their method, described in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could be applied to other thin materials, such as plastic or metal, to transform structures from furniture to buildings to microscopic robots. Origami structures would be useful in many engineering and everyday applications, such as a robotic arm that could reach out and scrunch up, a construction crane that could fold to pick up or deliver a load, or pop-up furniture. In particular, they have the potential for quick-assembling emergency shelters, bridges and other infrastructure in the wake of a natural disaster.
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