Reconfigurable, Multifunctional Origami Electronic Membranes for Mechanical and Environmental Sensing

TL;DR

This paper presents reconfigurable origami electronic membranes that combine flexible electronics with origami design to enable shape-shifting, multifunctional sensing, and adaptability for various environmental and mechanical conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a new class of origami-inspired electronic membranes with reconfigurable shapes and integrated sensing capabilities, advancing foldable and deployable electronic systems.

Findings

Six origami patterns demonstrated for shape reconfiguration

Membranes capable of sensing motion, strain, temperature, UV, and humidity

Successful transformation between multiple geometries

Abstract

This work introduces a concept of origami electronic membranes that leverages the design and fabrication of flexible electronics and the mechanical behavior of engineering origami to achieve unique multifunctional, shape-reconfigurable, and adaptive membranes for mechanical and environmental sensing in benign and harsh conditions. This paper presents the materials, design, and fabrication methods for realizing six origami electronic membranes capable of reconfiguring planar or three-dimensional shapes based on the modified flasher, Kresling, Miura-ori, circular, letter, and Tachi-Miura origami patterns. These origami-based, thin-film flexible electronics can obtain both expansion and folding of their shapes, as well as transformation between different geometries. The origami electronic membranes can achieve mechanical and environmental sensing functions such as measuring motions, mechanical strains, temperatures, UV light, and humidity. The results reported here demonstrate the promise of combining engineering origami with flexible electronics to advance the state-of-the-art in multifunctional foldable and deployable electronics and systems.