An Overview of Mechanisms and Patterns with Origami

International audienceOrigami (paperfolding) has greatly progressed since its first usage for design of cult objects in Japan, and entertainment in Europe and the USA. It has now entered into artistic areas using many other materials than paper, and has been used as an inspiration for scientific and engineering realizations. This article is intended to illustrate several aspects of origami that are relevant to engineering structures, namely: geometry, pattern generation, strength of material, and mechanisms. It does not provide an exhaustive list of applications nor an in-depth chronology of development of origami patterns, but exemplifies the relationships of origami to other disciplines, with selected examples

Frontiers of Adaptive Design, Synthetic Biology and Growing Skins for Ephemeral Hybrid Structures

The history of membranes is one of adaptation, from the development in living organisms to man-made versions, with a great variety of uses in temporary design: clothing, building, packaging, etc. Being versatile and simple to integrate, membranes have a strong sustainability potential, through an essential use of material resources and multifunctional design, representing one of the purest cases where “design follows function.” The introduction of new engineered materials and techniques, combined with a growing interest for Nature-inspired technologies are progressively merging man-made artifacts and biological processes with a high potential for innovation. This chapter introduces, through a number of examples, the broad variety of hybrid membranes in the contest of experimental Design, Art and Architecture, categorized following two different stages of biology-inspired approach with the aim of identifying potential developments. Biomimicry, is founded on the adoption of practices from nature in architecture though imitation: solutions are observed on a morphological, structural or procedural level and copied to design everything from nanoscale materials to building technologies. Synthetic biology relies on hybrid procedures mixing natural and synthetic materials and processes

Multifunctional Foldable Knitted Structures: Fundamentals, Advances and Applications

Contemporary multifunctional textiles are based on hi-tech functionalization. Knitted structures can be relatively rapidly designed and produced in a variety of textures due to their composition of many interlacing loop elements and their combinations. Foldable weft-knitted structures exist in a wide range of forms from simple rolls, ribs, and pleats to more complex three-dimensional structures. They exhibit new kind of geometry and deformation mechanisms. Some of them exhibit auxetic potential. Foldable knitted structures are multifunctional and widely usable. They can be produced in a variety of structures, qualities, and dimensions: in panels, fully-fashioned, or seamless. Their possible application lies in different fields, such as fashionable and functional clothing, sportswear, medical care, packaging, interior design, sound and shock absorption, etc

Kinetic Solar Skin: A Responsive Folding Technique

The paper focuses on optimized movements analysed by means of Origami, the Japanese traditional art of paper folding. The study is a way to achieve different deployable shading systems categorized by a series of parameters that describe the strengths and weaknesses of each tessellation. Through the kinetic behaviour of Origami geometries the research compares simple folding diagrams with the purpose to understand the deployment at global scale and thus the potential of kinetic patterns’ morphology for application in adaptive facades. The possibilities of using a responsive folding technique to develop a kinetic surface that can change its configuration are here examined through the variation of parameters that influence kinematics’ form. Moreover, in order to perform the shape change without any external mechanical devices, the use of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators has been tested

Origami fold as algebraic graph rewriting

AbstractWe formalize paper fold (origami) by graph rewriting. Origami construction is abstractly described by a rewriting system (O,↬), where O is the set of abstract origamis and ↬ is a binary relation on O, that models fold. An abstract origami is a structure (Π,∽,≻), where Π is a set of faces constituting an origami, and ∽ and ≻ are binary relations on Π, each representing adjacency and superposition relations between the faces.We then address representation and transformation of abstract origamis and further reasoning about the construction for computational purposes. We present a labeled hypergraph of origami and define fold as algebraic graph transformation. The algebraic graph-theoretic formalism enables us to reason about origami in two separate domains of discourse, i.e. pure combinatorial domain where symbolic computation plays the main role and geometrical domain R×R. We detail the program language for the algebraic graph rewriting and graph rewriting algorithms for the fold, and show how fold is expressed by a set of graph rewrite rules

Flexible mechanical metamaterials

Mechanical metamaterials exhibit properties and functionalities that cannot be realized in conventional materials. Originally, the field focused on achieving unusual (zero or negative) values for familiar mechanical parameters, such as density, Poisson's ratio or compressibility, but more recently, new classes of metamaterials — including shape-morphing, topological and nonlinear metamaterials — have emerged. These materials exhibit exotic functionalities, such as pattern and shape transformations in response to mechanical forces, unidirectional guiding of motion and waves, and reprogrammable stiffness or dissipation. In this Review, we identify the design principles leading to these properties and discuss, in particular, linear and mechanism-based metamaterials (such as origami-based and kirigami-based metamaterials), metamaterials harnessing instabilities and frustration, and topological metamaterials. We conclude by outlining future challenges for the design, creation and conceptualization of advanced mechanical metamaterials.J.C. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC) through the Starting Grant No. 714577 PHONOMETA and from the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (MINECO) through a Ramon y Cajal grant (Grant No. RYC‑2015‑17156). M.vH. acknowledges funding from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research through Grant VICI No. NWO‑680‑47‑609. V.V. acknowledges support from the University of Chicago Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, which is funded by the National Science Foundation through Grant No. DMR-1420709

Enabling New Functionally Embedded Mechanical Systems Via Cutting, Folding, and 3D Printing

Traditional design tools and fabrication methods implicitly prevent mechanical engineers from encapsulating full functionalities such as mobility, transformation, sensing and actuation in the early design concept prototyping stage. Therefore, designers are forced to design, fabricate and assemble individual parts similar to conventional manufacturing, and iteratively create additional functionalities. This results in relatively high design iteration times and complex assembly strategies

cartOut. Cardboard architecture 4 climate challange.

Our cities suffer from the urban heat island phenomenon, in which climate change is reflected and amplified. Becoming aware of this and understanding how it is happening is necessary for developing a strategy to curb the problem. Cardboard is an ancient material that has only recently been used in architecture. Today it is being rediscovered as a versatile material that can be worked quickly via digital technologies. The algorithmic study of geometries and automated processing present many avenues of research. Today’s computational power allows us to insert and verify different geometries in realistic contexts in which the microclimate and its effects can be investigated. In architecture, the use of cardboard has always implied a technological challenge in improving construction techniques to allow for temporary and permanent constructions. Architects have been interested in using this semi-finished material given its unique characteristics. It is a light, versatile material that can yield various construction solutions through the use of different techniques. Its durability has been improved over time while maintaining a low impact on the environment due to its renewable life cycle. Today, using cardboard outdoors means solving various technological problems in an innovative way while respecting the environment and architecture has thus responded to climate change through sustainable production and realization. The aim of this research is to use cardboard to create outdoor elements capable of controlling the microclimate in built areas. The studies made have shown how effective geometry can be in controlling the microclimate. Regenerating outdoor spaces through the use of geometrically designed cardboard elements regenerates and enriches the heritage and acting on the factors that affect comfort means improving the quality of the outdoor environment. Improving the usability of outdoor spaces is even more important in light of the ongoing pandemic, due to which outdoor spaces have gained new importance in conducting social activities

Origami Reconfigurable Electromagnetic Systems

With the ever-increasing demand for wireless communications, there is a great need for efficient designs of electromagnetic systems. Reconfigurable electromagnetic systems are very useful because such designs can provide multi-functionality and support different services. The geometrical topology of an electromagnetic element is very important as it determines the element’s RF performance characteristics. Origami geometries have significant advantages for launch-and-carry electromagnetic devices where devices need to fold in order to miniaturize their size during launch and unfold in order to operate after the platform has reached orbit. This dissertation demonstrates a practical process for designing reconfigurable electromagnetic devices using origami structures. Four different origami structures are studied and the integrated Mathematical-Computational-Electromagnetic models of origami antennas, origami reflectors and origami antenna arrays are developed and analyzed. These devices provide many unique capabilities compared with the traditional designs, such as band-switching, frequency tuning, polarization adjustment and mode reconfigurability. Prototypes are also manufactured to validate the performances of the designs. These designs change their geometry naturally, and they can be compactly packaged into small volume, which make them very suitable for spaceborne and satellite communication. Origami antennas and origami electromagnetics are expected to impact a variety of applications related to communications, surveillance and sensing