Know when to fold them: the tech inspired by origami

"Zaman was inspired by the Japanese art form kirigami, like origami but instead of merely folding paper to achieve a 3D shape, kirigami also involves cutting. It's often used to make paper pop-ups. Both origami and kirigami have influenced engineers for many years. These techniques can enable materials to behave in surprising ways but finding useful applications for them has long been a challenge."

"In Zaman's case, he and his colleagues found a way of 3D-printing material divided into chunky, square-shaped tiles. The angles of the sides of those tiles, and the precise nature of the cuts that separate them mean that, when squeezed together, they pop up into a desired 3D shape. It could be a chair, a tent-like structure, or a curved container of some kind, for instance."

"You could make a larger structure like a building. At the other end of the scale, the technology could also be used to make tiny structures that, when activated, open up and deliver drugs to specific sites in the body."

MIT PhD candidate Akib Zaman and colleagues created a breakthrough technology combining kirigami principles with 3D printing. They designed a computer program that converts 3D models into flat, grid-patterned materials with precisely angled tiles and strategic cuts. When a pull-cord activates the structure, it compresses and transforms into the intended 3D shape, such as chairs or containers. The technique has diverse applications ranging from large architectural structures to microscopic drug-delivery systems that unfold inside the body. This innovation addresses the long-standing challenge of finding practical applications for origami and kirigami-inspired engineering techniques.

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