Researchers at
Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new computer-aided approach
that streamlines the design process for origami-based structures, making it
easier for engineers and scientists to conceptualize new ideas graphically
while simultaneously generating the underlying mathematical data needed to
build the structure in the real world.
Origami paper folding techniques in recent
years have been at center of research efforts focused on finding practical
engineering applications for the ancient art, with ideas ranging from
deployable antennas to robotic arms.
"Our work
provides a means to predict computationally the real origami behavior of a
design - something that up to now has not been easily done," said Glaucio
Paulino, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental
Engineering. "With the new software, we can easily visualize and, most
importantly, engineer the behavior of deployable, self-assembling, and
adaptable origami systems."
The research,
which was supported by the National Science Foundation and reported October
11th in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A, involved building
a computer model to simulate the interaction between the two facets of a folded
sheet, including how easily and how far the folds would bend and how much the
flat planes would deform during movement.
Once all
sections were connected together and digitally represented a piece of origami,
the model could simulate how the structure would behave based on what type of
material - from soft paper to hard plastic or metal - would be used to create
the object.
"This type
of modeling was possible already using finite element analysis, but that is a
time-consuming process that could take hours or days and provides a lot of
unnecessary data," said Ke Liu, a Georgia Tech graduate student who worked
on the project. "Our new process is much faster and gives us the
underlying data for how the origami works."
The software,
which is called MERLIN, allows the
researchers to simulate how origami structures will respond to compression
forces from different angles - one at a time or several simultaneously. The
researchers can then quickly adjust the parameters for the type of material
used or from what angle it is compressed to see how that would change the
behavior of the piece.
For one of their
simulations, the researchers recreated a foldable wine bottle gift bag that
uses a cylindrical shell origami called the Kresling pattern. When the top of
the structure is compressed to a threshold point, sections of the bag collapse
in on themselves in multiple stages.
"The
software also allows us to see where the energy is stored in the structure and
better understand and predict how the objects will bend, twist and snap,"
Paulino said.
Paulino and his
team recently designed an origami structure capable of being reconfigured to
fold into different shapes. The goal was to lay the groundwork for structures
that could eventually reconfigure themselves, such as an antenna that could
change its shape and operate at different frequencies.
"With this
new design approach, we're able to get insight with every iteration of the
design, which will guide our design choices and ultimately give us more power
to fine-tune these structures," Paulino said.
The software
will be provided free for other researchers to use and will be used as an
educational tool for undergraduate students at Georgia Tech.
Source: Sciencenews
