Paper cranes are probably the first things that come to mind when you think “origami.” However, the mathematics behind this simple art of folding have actually inspired complex engineering inventions. I personally find it so cool that you can take 2D materials and create intricate 3-D designs without cutting or gluing. For example, the origami piece below used only 1 sheet of uncut paper!
Origami originated in decorative and ceremonial purposes, evolving into children’s crafts today. As people began to understand the mathematical principles behind origami, they used the same mechanisms to solve real-world design and technology problems. In fact, origami works just as well with metals and plastics.
Here are 5 interesting engineering inventions that are based on origami!
1. Mobile bridge
Designed by Hiroshima University researchers, this bridge is foldable. Compact enough for trailer transportation, yet rapidly expandable up to 20 metres in length. No crane operations or foundational work required! This is why the bridge was designed for use during natural disasters, when damages to roads and bridges impede crucial transportation for emergency aid and to rescue survivors. Based on a scissor mechanism, which allows expansions and contractions of the bridge while retaining strength and integrity, it easily carries the weight of a moving car. The bridge is kind of like a construction scissor lift on its side.
2. Tiny ingestible robot for endoscopic procedures
Next up, MIT researchers designed an origami-inspired robot made of dried pig intestine that folds small enough to fit in a pill capsule. Although it is a relatively new technology, they have tested it in a dead pig stomach. This is how the robot works: first, the robot is folded into an ice capsule and swallowed. Once in the stomach, the ice melts and the robot unfolds. There, external magnets steer the robot to dislodge foreign objects from the stomach without the need for surgery. For example, a button battery accidentally swallowed by a child.
3. Bulletproof shield
Conventional bulletproof shields used by police/military usually weigh 90 pounds or more and only provide protection for 1 person. Contrarily, the Kevlar shield pictured above is 35 pounds lighter, expands wide enough to protect 2-3 people, and easily folds into the trunk of a car. Its deployment mechanism is actually based on a 100-year old origami pattern called Yoshimura, as shown below.
4. Cardiac stents
Delving back into medicinal applications, a heart stent developed by Oxford University researchers is based on the origami water-bomb base. The stent contracts to fit through a catheter inserted into a blood vessel, and is inflated to open up narrow or blocked arteries.
5. Foldscope
Finally, the foldscope is a durable, portable origami microscope assembled from 1 piece of paper. Add a lens and a light battery, and it will provide up to 140 X magnification at a production cost of less than 1 dollar. This innovation was created in the vision of solving accessibility problems to science.
