Large-scale modular and uniformly thick origami-inspired adaptable and load-carrying structures

TL;DR

This paper introduces large-scale origami-inspired structures that can adapt their shape, carry heavy loads, and be rapidly reconfigured for various engineering applications.

Contribution

The paper introduces modular and uniformly thick origami-inspired structures that can deploy into meter-scale configurations and support large loads.

Findings

The authors derived general conditions for degree-N origami vertices to be flat foldable, developable, and uniformly thick.

The proposed structures can adapt into different shapes and support remarkably large loads.

The modular design allows for rapid repair and reconfiguration between storage and structural states.

Abstract

Existing Civil Engineering structures have limited capability to adapt their configurations for new functions, non-stationary environments, or future reuse. Although origami principles provide capabilities of dense packaging and reconfiguration, existing origami systems have not achieved deployable metre-scale structures that can support large loads. Here, we established modular and uniformly thick origami-inspired structures that can deploy into metre-scale structures, adapt into different shapes, and carry remarkably large loads. This work first derives general conditions for degree-N origami vertices to be flat foldable, developable, and uniformly thick, and uses these conditions to create the proposed origami-inspired structures. We then show that these origami-inspired structures can utilize high modularity for rapid repair and adaptability of shapes and functions; can harness multi-path folding motions to reconfigure between storage and structural states; and can exploit uniform thickness to carry large loads. We believe concepts of modular and uniformly thick origami-inspired structures will challenge traditional practice in Civil Engineering by enabling large-scale, adaptable, deployable, and load-carrying structures, and offer broader applications in aerospace systems, space habitats, robotics, and more.

In this work, authors establish general conditions for flat foldability, developability, and uniform thickness in origami-inspired structures and introduce a large-scale modular design capable of deploying into meter-scale configurations, adapting to various shapes, and supporting significant loads.

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