By testing other shapes, he realized that fold patterns and material stiffness controlled their motions, a discovery that led to the creation of these soft, strong, and lightweight robotic arms. Li, then a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard and MIT, pumped out the air and was surprised to see the shape contract as if he’d pressed it with his hand. Shuguang Li was playing with a collapsible origami cylinder when, on a whim, he put it in a vacuum bag. “That’s a wonderful place for the field to be.” Lang, a preeminent origami artist who previously worked as a laser physicist. What began as efforts to understand the math behind fold patterns has opened up surprising possibilities for manipulating the shape, movement, and properties of all kinds of materials-filters of face masks, the plastic of kayaks, even living cells. The boat, created by the company Oru Kayak, is part of a scientific and technological revolution inspired by the centuries-old art of origami. Instead, the plastic suitcase has transformed, and suddenly a full-size kayak is sitting in my living room. The dogs sprint for cover, scrambling across wood floors, while I frantically look for damage, heart pounding. Pushing outward on the creases of one side, I hear a shockingly loud pop. My canine companions take a curious sniff as I unfurl the rigid form, which spans nearly the width of my living room. Packed inside is a single sheet of white corrugated plastic folded into what looks like a large suitcase. A cacophony of barking alerts me to the cardboard box delivered to my front door.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |