Compact reconfigurable kirigami

TL;DR

This paper introduces a geometric design framework for creating reconfigurable kirigami patterns that can morph into arbitrary shapes and return to compact states, enabling advanced shape-morphing materials.

Contribution

It generalizes geometric constraints for kirigami, allowing the design of patterns that morph between multiple shapes with reconfigurable and rigid deployable properties.

Findings

Developed a geometric framework for kirigami pattern design.

Established conditions for reconfigurable and rigid deployable kirigami.

Demonstrated the ability to morph between arbitrary shapes and compact states.

Abstract

Kirigami involves cutting a flat, thin sheet that allows it to morph from a closed, compact configuration into an open deployed structure via coordinated rotations of the internal tiles. By recognizing and generalizing the geometric constraints that enable this art form, we propose a design framework for compact reconfigurable kirigami patterns, which can morph from a closed and compact configuration into a deployed state conforming to any prescribed target shape, and subsequently be contracted into a different closed and compact configuration. We further establish a condition for producing kirigami patterns which are reconfigurable and rigid deployable allowing us to connect the compact states via a zero-energy family of deployed states. All together, our inverse design framework lays out a new path for the creation of shape-morphing material structures.