PyKirigami: An interactive Python simulator for kirigami structures

TL;DR

PyKirigami is a fast, open-source Python simulator that models kirigami structures as articulated rigid bodies, enabling real-time deployment analysis and interaction for rapid prototyping and validation.

Contribution

It introduces a lightweight, kinematic simulation framework for kirigami structures that is faster and more interactive than traditional FEA methods.

Findings

Enables real-time simulation of deployment trajectories

Supports collision detection and interactive actuation

Allows validation of folding paths and locking states

Abstract

In recent years, the concept of kirigami has been used in creating deployable structures for various scientific and technological applications. While high-fidelity Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is the standard for analyzing stress distributions and material deformation, it is computationally intensive and often ill-suited for the rapid exploration of vast kinematic configuration spaces. In this work, we develop PyKirigami, a lightweight, open-source Python framework for the efficient deployment simulation of kirigami structures. Unlike continuum mechanics solvers, PyKirigami models tessellations as articulated rigid-body networks, allowing for the real-time simulation of global deployment trajectories and volumetric transformations. The tool incorporates collision detection and interactive actuation, enabling users to validate folding paths and identify geometric locking states in both 2D and 3D topologies. This framework serves as a fast kinematic prototyping tool for kirigami structures, allowing researchers to verify deployment mechanics and self-contacts prior to performing detailed mechanical analysis or physical fabrication.