Patterning nonisometric origami in nematic elastomer sheets

TL;DR

This paper introduces a systematic design framework for creating complex 3D shapes from patterned nematic elastomer sheets using nonisometric origami, validated through theory and experiments, enabling programmable shape transformations.

Contribution

It provides a novel systematic approach to design and realize complex 3D shapes from nematic elastomer sheets using nonisometric origami building blocks, both theoretically and experimentally.

Findings

Nonisometric origami blocks actuate as predicted.

Integration of blocks yields multi-stable, predictable shapes.

Experimental biasing achieves desired complex shapes.

Abstract

Nematic elastomers dramatically change their shape in response to diverse stimuli including light and heat. In this paper, we provide a systematic framework for the design of complex three dimensional shapes through the actuation of heterogeneously patterned nematic elastomer sheets. These sheets are composed of \textit{nonisometric origami} building blocks which, when appropriately linked together, can actuate into a diverse array of three dimensional faceted shapes. We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that: 1) the nonisometric origami building blocks actuate in the predicted manner, 2) the integration of multiple building blocks leads to complex multi-stable, yet predictable, shapes, 3) we can bias the actuation experimentally to obtain a desired complex shape amongst the multi-stable shapes. We then show that this experimentally realized functionality enables a rich possible design landscape for actuation using nematic elastomers. We highlight this landscape through theoretical examples, which utilize large arrays of these building blocks to realize a desired three dimensional origami shape. In combination, these results amount to an engineering design principle, which we hope will provide a template for the application of nematic elastomers to emerging technologies.