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Cited by 421Advanced Materials and MechanicsStructural Analysis and OptimizationSoft Robotics and Applications

Origami-inspired active structures: a synthesis and review

Open access
Peraza-Hernandez, Edwin A, Hartl, Darren J, Malak Jr, Richard J, Lagoudas, Dimitris C·2014·Smart Materials and Structures
DOI 10.1088/0964-1726/23/9/094001
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Abstract

Origami, the ancient art of paper folding, has inspired the design of engineering devices and structures for decades. The underlying principles of origami are very general, which has led to applications ranging from cardboard containers to deployable space structures. More recently, researchers have become interested in the use of active materials (i.e., those that convert various forms of energy into mechanical work) to effect the desired folding behavior. When used in a suitable geometry, active materials allow engineers to create self-folding structures. Such structures are capable of performing folding and/or unfolding operations without being kinematically manipulated by external forces or moments. This is advantageous for many applications including space systems, underwater robotics, small scale devices, and self-assembling systems. This article is a survey and analysis of prior work on active self-folding structures as well as methods and tools available for the design of folding structures in general and self-folding structures in particular. The goal is to provide researchers and practitioners with a systematic view of the state-of-the-art in this important and evolving area. Unifying structural principles for active self-folding structures are identified and used as a basis for a quantitative and qualitative comparison of numerous classes of active materials. Design considerations specific to folded structures are examined, including the issues of crease pattern identification and fold kinematics. Although few tools have been created with active materials in mind, many of them are useful in the overall design process for active self-folding structures. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of open questions for the field of origami-inspired engineering.

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  • Understanding the full space of crease patterns as a function of folding energy is crucial for self-folding origami applications.

    “Understanding the full space of crease patterns as a function of folding energy is also crucial for self-folding origami applications13”

    From Self-folding origami at any energy scale (2017) · cites this paper as [13]

    Section 4, “Crease pattern/fold kinematics design” (page unavailable), says identifying a suitable crease pattern and folding sequence is important for active self-folding structures. It does not say that understanding the full space of crease patterns as a function of folding energy is crucial; searches for that relationship and for “folding energy” found no supporting passage. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The proposal is conservative-it does not require specific directional information at hinges, temporal staging, or using nonflat sheets.

    “Thus, our proposal is conservative—it does not require specific directional information at hinges6, temporal staging45, or using nonflat sheets37.”

    From Shaping the topology of folding pathways in mechanical systems (2018) · cites this paper as [6]

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Research works printed but not linked: 17

  1. [9]9. Gray S, Zeichner N, Kumar V and Yim M 2011 A simulator for origami-inspired self-reconfigurable robots Origami 5: Fifth Int. Meeting of Origami Science Mathematics, and Education (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press) p 323
  2. [13]13. Mueller S, Kruck B and Baudisch P 2013 Laser origami: laser-cutting 3 D objects Proc. of the SIGCHI Conf. on Human Factors in Computing Systems (New York: ACM) pp 2585-92
  3. [31]31. Jung Y and Kim J 2011 Flutter speed estimation for folding wing system 18th Int. Conf. on Composite Materials
  4. [40]40. Klaus M and Reimerdes H-G 2010 Numerical investigation of different strength after impact test procedures Proc. of the IMPLAST 2010 Conf. (Providence, RI)
  5. [62]62. Kuribayashi K and Takeuchi S 2011 Foldable parylene origami sheets covered with cells: toward applications in bio-implantable devices Origami 5: Fifth Int. Meeting of Origami Science Mathematics, and Education (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press) p 385
  6. [64]64. Fei L J and Sujan D 2013 Origami theory and its applications: a literature review Int. J. Soc. Hum. Sci. Eng. 7 113-7
  7. [66]66. Demaine E D and OʼRourke J 2007 Geometric folding algorithms (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
  8. [109]109. You Z and Kuribayashi K 2003 A novel origami stent Proc. of Summer Bioengineering Conf. (Key Biscayne, June 2003)
  9. [115]115. Roudaut A, Karnik A, Lóchtefeld M and Subramanian S 2013 Morphees: toward high shape resolution in self-actuated flexible mobile devices Proc. of the SIGCHI Conf. on Human Factors in Computing Systems (New York: ACM) pp 593-602
  10. [116]116. Gomes A, Nesbitt A and Vertegaal R 2013 MorePhone: a study of actuated shape deformations for flexible thin-film smartphone notifications Proc. of the SIGCHI Conf. on Human Factors in Computing Systems (New York: ACM) pp 583-92
  11. [140]140. Peraza-Hernandez E, Hartl D and Lagoudas D 2013 Shape memory alloy laminate for design of self-folding reconfigurable structures The 19th Int. Conf. on Composite Materials (Montreal, Canada)
  12. [143]143. Miyazaki S 1999 Medical and dental applications of shape memory alloys (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
  13. [144]144. Schwesig C, Poupyrev I and Mori E 2004 Gummi: a bendable computer Proc. of the SIGCHI Conf. on Human Factors in Computing Systems (New York: ACM) pp 263-70
  14. [146]146. Lahey B, Girouard A, Burleson W and Vertegaal R 2011 Paper phone: understanding the use of bend gestures in mobile devices with flexible electronic paper displays Proc. of the SIGCHI Conf. on Human Factors in Computing Systems (ACM) pp 1303-12
  15. [181]181. Lang R 2001 Trees and circles: an efficient algorithm for origami design Proc. of the III Int. Meeting of Origami Science, Math, and Education
  16. [198]198. Kasem A, Ida T, Takahashi H, Marin M and Ghourabi F 2006 E-origami system Eos Proc. of the Annual Symp. of Japan Society for Software Science and Technology (Japan, Sept. 2006) (Tokyo: JSSST)
  17. [210]210. Justin J 1994 Towards a mathematical theory of origami Proc. of the II Int. Meeting of Origami Science and Scientific Origami pp 15-29

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Authors
Peraza-Hernandez, E. A., Hartl, D. J., Malak Jr, R. J., & Lagoudas, D. C.
Affiliations
Texas A&M University (US)
Corresponding author
Hartl, Darren J
ORCID
Venue
Smart Materials and Structures
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Published
2014-08-11
Volume
23
Issue
9
Pages
094001
ISSN
  • 0964-1726 (ISSN-L)
  • 1361-665X
DOI
10.1088/0964-1726/23/9/094001
OpenAlex
W2023412496
Semantic Scholar
e9bd312afe9bb16f5e6aa00faf6aa91529ba6a9d
Cited by
421
References
250
Citations by year
2026: 22 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 46 · 2020: 42 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 61 · 2017: 49 · 2016: 34 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 2
FWCI
43.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Smart Materials and Structures (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (1240483)
  • Division of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI-1240483)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Advanced Materials and Mechanics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Civil and Structural Engineering › Structural Analysis and Optimization
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Soft Robotics and Applications
Keywords
active materials, deployable space structures, fold kinematics, crease patterns, self-assembly

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