In this paper, Prof. Filipov showcases a special “zipper tube” origami design, which can change its shape by expanding and collapsing but is still stiff when used as a structure. Some of the key points of this work are as follows:
- The new assemblages can deploy through a single flexible motion, but they are substantially stiffer for any other type of bending or twisting movement.
- The origami tubes can be stacked and coupled into a variety of cellular assemblages, such as a canopy, bridge, or metamaterial, further enhancing the mechanical characteristics and versatility of the systems.
Here is a quote from the paper explaining the impact of this work:
We introduce a new method of assembling origami into coupled tubes that can increase the origami stiffness by two orders of magnitude. These structures lead to a potential design paradigm in science and engineering for structures and metamaterials that can be deployed, stiffened, and tuned.
