How origami might reshape the future of everything

The next generation of solar panels and airbags will be shaped by the ancient Japanese art of paper folding.

At least, that's how Northeastern researcher Soroush Kamrava sees it.

The third-year doctoral student in mechanical engineering uses 3-D printers in the Machine Shop on campus to create smart structures—objects that can collapse, absorb energy, and spring back into place using the geometric principles of origami.

"Origami is a branch of art that only uses geometry, which is the same base for mechanical structures," said Kamrava.

Traditional origami uses paper. However, most engineering applications require materials with definitive thickness and enough strength and stiffness to properly perform. That's where metamaterials come in. Substances that aren't found in nature, such as plastic, metal and rubber, metamaterials form the basis of Kamrava's work.

An origami expert can turn a few basic folds into a complex design. The challenge for engineers is to create a system of folds that is structurally sound and can be reproduced.

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