New Material Can Fold Flat and Shift Shape On Its Own

Mar-13-16 The origami-inspired snapology technology could pave the way to a new generation of changeable and packable structures.

Developed by a team from Harvard, the snapology technique relies on a series of connected cubes that assemble into a shape with 24 faces and 36 edges. By adding pneumatic actuators to the units, the material can be programmed to form a wide array of shapes, with the stiffness of the structure determined by its shape.

According to Johannes T. B. Overvelde, the first author of the paper, “This research demonstrates a new class of foldable materials that is also completely scalable. It works from the nanoscale to the meter-scale and could be used to make anything from surgical stents to portable pop-up domes for disaster relief.”

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[DISCOVERY.COM]
[SEAS.HARVARD.EDU]

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