Tag: ORIGAMI

While they aren't full-blown 'Transformers,' ultra-thin smart sheets developed by MIT and Harvard researchers could pave the way for machines that fold into different shapes. According to Popular Science, the fiberglass sheets, which are made from .5-inch wide, .5-millimeter thick, triangular tiles, are dubbed 'programmable matter.' The researchers equipped the smart sheets with ultra-thin, ...

Up to this point, the design of solar panels has been primarily a 2-D affair. But now, some scientists say that "folding" these flat panels into a 3-D design, like origami, could provide more efficient solar power. According to LiveScience, 3-D panels could absorb more light and create more energy because the light that's usually reflected off a flat panel would be caught and absorbed by ...

To the casual observer, origami, the ancient practice of folding paper into intricate and artistic designs, may seem to have little, or nothing at all, to do with technology. But the folding patterns used in origami have been applied to many technical pursuits, including modern construction techniques, the design of an expanding solar sail, and even the deployment of airbags. To further ...