Review Article

Proc IMechE Part C:

J Mechanical Engineering Science
A review of origami applications 2016, Vol. 230(14) 2345–2362
! IMechE 2015

in mechanical engineering Reprints and permissions:

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DOI: 10.1177/0954406215597713
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Nicholas Turner, Bill Goodwine and Mihir Sen

Abstract
This is an overview of current research in origami applied to mechanical engineering. Fundamental concepts and
definitions commonly used in origami are introduced, including a background on key mathematical origami findings.
An outline of applications in mechanical engineering is presented. The foundation of an origami-based design procedure
and software that is currently available to aid in design are also described. The goal of this review is to introduce the
subject to mechanical engineers who may not be familiar with it, and encourage future origami-based design and
applications.

Keywords
Mechanisms, design, complex systems, packaging, design research

Date received: 30 March 2015; accepted: 24 June 2015

Introduction deployed state they can move with one or more

The word origami, the ancient art of paper folding, degrees of freedom.3 Kinematic origami is designed
combines the Japanese roots ori, meaning ‘folded’, to exploit relative motion between components of an
and kami, meaning ‘paper’.1 Despite the art’s rich aes- action origami model. Kirigami strays from trad-
thetic history, the vast majority of practical applica- itional origami rules by allowing cutting in addition
tions have come within the past 50 years. Advances in to creases, but provides a manufacturing advantage
computer science, number theory, and computational that is sometimes more suited to engineering applica-
geometry have paved the way for powerful new ana- tions. In many instances of so-called ‘origami-based
lysis and design techniques, which now extend far devices’, ‘kirigami’ is the more appropriate label.
beyond the art itself. Even though mechanical engin- It has found direct application in folding/morphing
eering has always been concerned with devices that structures, micro-electromechanical systems, and
allow relative motion between components, which in cellular core structures for energy dissipation.4–7
a sense can be considered folding, the field of mech- First some terms that are common in origami must
anical engineering origami is a recent development and be introduced. A crease is a fold, either convex
it is leading to new and useful results. Folding link- (mountain) or concave (valley). Collectively, all the
ages in one dimension, planar shapes in two dimen- creases make up the crease pattern. A vertex is a
sions, and polyhedra in three dimensions can now be point where two or more creases intersect. The
efficiently designed and analyzed using origami con- degree of the vertex is the number of creases emanat-
cepts. This paper surveys the current state of research ing from that vertex. The folded state is the end result
in origami applied to mechanical engineering. of some folding motion. A pleat is a fold that creates
It briefly reviews mathematical and computational successive mountain and valley creases that are rela-
origami, disciplines on which most engineering rests, tively close to each other. A crimp is similar, but
and overviews major applications that have been involves some reverse-folding in a mountain–valley
developed. pattern. Figure 1 illustrates examples of crimp and
Several subdisciplines of origami that are useful in
mechanical engineering have emerged over the years. Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of
Orimimetrics is the application of folding to solve Notre Dame, USA
engineering problems.2 Rigid origami considers
Corresponding author:
creases as hinges and models the material between
Bill Goodwine, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering,
creases as rigid, restricting it from bending or deform- University of Notre Dame, 376 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame,
ing during folding. Action origami is concerned with IN 46556, USA.
models that have been folded so that in their final, Email: bill@controls.ame.nd.edu
2346 Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 230(14)

Figure 1. Left: pleat folds. Right: crimp folds.

pleat folds. These folds are used to create accordion Selected mathematical background
and corrugated patterns used in a variety of
subjects on origami
applications.
The material used in an origami application is crit- Although much has been done and written about the
ical. Artistic origami uses paper which is an elastic the mathematics of origami, we will merely touch
material that prefers to be flat, but other materials upon some of the salient geometrical, topological
are more useful for engineering. Creasing a sheet is and optimization aspects relevant to this review.
essentially bending it beyond the yield point so it While it is the case that a very strong connection
becomes plastically deformed. In surfaces with pleat between the mathematic subjects in this section and
folding, the physics will find an equilibrium among the applications in Section 4 does not currently exist,
the forces that are at play in the crease patterns. one of the purposes of this review is to present the
This is important when three-dimensional (3D) struc- most relevant mathematical topics to help facilitate a
tures are to be built from two-dimensional (2D) sheet development of a closer connection between the
material. If the material can be pieced together cor- mathematical theory and mechanical engineering
rectly and creased in such a way that each location on applications.
the material wants to locally bend and deform to the A polyhedron is any 3D surface composed of poly-
desired configuration, the 3D structures can easily be gons, which are 2D flat surfaces with edges that are
manufactured or self-folded. straight lines. Origami can be used to create any poly-
The rest of this paper is organized as follows. hedron from a flat piece of paper by folding.8 Proving
Section 2 presents some of the mathematically based this involves folding a piece of paper down to a long,
definitions and theoretical results in origami. While narrow rectangle. Next, the polygonal faces of the
not all applications discussed subsequently rely heav- polyhedron that is to be modeled must be triangu-
ily on these results, selected subjects from the state- lated. This allows each resulting triangle on the face
of-the-art in origami theory the authors consider most of the polyhedron to be covered. A zig-zag path, par-
relevant to mechanical engineering applications are allel to the shared edge with the next triangle and
reviewed because such theoretical results can provide starting at the opposite corner, is used to visit each
a framework for more advanced developments in the triangle on the polyhedron. Turn gadgets, which fold
field. Section 3 presents the most common crease pat- the strip onto itself with a mountain fold and folding
terns in origami relevant to mechanical engineering the back layer over at the required angle, are used to
applications as well as their functions. In both the create the path.
art as well as engineering, these crease patters provide A path that minimizes overlap and covers each tri-
a standard starting point and toolbox of functionality angle only once is, in some sense, optimal for engin-
for origami engineers. Section 4 presents an overview eering applications. Hamiltonian refinement is a
of origami applications in mechanical engineering procedure that guarantees each triangle is only visited
today. Section 5 discusses some of the practical once through the use of a spanning tree, which
issues in an origami design procedure, and Section 6 is a graph that reaches all the vertices in the crease
presents an overview of currently available software pattern.1 This idealized path can be determined
tools. by drawing a line connecting the midpoints of each
Turner et al. 2347

triangle. If this method does not result in the most

efficient tree, then splitting each triangle into six smal-
ler triangles will prevent revisiting any triangles as the
entire polyhedron is covered.
The Huzita–Hatori (or Huzita–Justin) axioms are a
set of rules in paper folding that define the full scope
of single linear folds using points and lines. A line is
either a crease in a piece of paper or the boundary of
the paper. A point is an intersection of two lines. The
axioms are complete in the sense that ‘‘these are all of
the operations that define a single fold by alignment
of combinations of points and finite line segments’’.9
They are the foundation of logical constructions that
can be used to form any regular polygon, and can also
solve quadratic, cubic, and quartic equations, trisect
angles, and determine cube roots.
The axioms (see http://origami.ousaan.com/library/
conste.html) state that: (a) given two points p1 and p2, Figure 2. Flat-folding crease pattern. Mountain and valley
we can fold a line connecting them; (b) given two points creases are black and gray respectively.
p1 and p2, we can fold p1 onto p2; (c) given two lines ‘1
and ‘2, we can fold ‘1 onto ‘2; (d) given a point p1 and a
line ‘1, we can make a fold perpendicular to ‘1 passing meaning that each panel in the crease pattern can
through the point p1; (e) given two points p1 and p2 and be colored with only one of two colors without
a line ‘1, we can make a fold that places p1 onto ‘1 having the same color meet at any border. This is
and passes through the point p2; (f) given two points again a necessary condition for flat-foldability of
p1 and p2 and two lines ‘1 and ‘2, we can make a fold multi-vertex designs, along with each individual
that places p1 onto ‘1 and places p2 onto ‘2, and vertex satisfying the criteria above.
(g) given a point p1 and two lines ‘1 and ‘2, we can
make a fold perpendicular to ‘2 that places p1 onto Further generalizations of these theories have been
‘1. These operations describe simple folds and provide made with the intent of imposing sufficiency and
the basis of mathematical origami. investigating global foldability.10
Flat-foldability is the property of a design that can
be folded into a single plane with a thickness deter-
mined by the material. Making generalizations on
Design of folding patterns
global flat-foldability for multi-vertex folds is an To design an origami model, it is necessary to
NP-hard problem and remains open, however the determine the crease pattern that will dictate the
single-vertex case is well understood. The crease pat- folds necessary to achieve the desired 3D form.
tern emanating from one vertex is defined by n angles An origami base is the first step in the folding process,
between the creases, the sum of which is 360 for a flat and it is the foundation of every design. Several
piece of paper. Consider the crease pattern shown in algorithms have been developed to design efficient
Figure 2, which is flat-foldable. crease patterns to fold bases, the most popular being
For a single vertex to be flat-foldable, the following the tree method.11,12 A limb is a flap on an origami
conditions must be satisfied. base structure and limbs are independently folded
as the second step to add intricacy to a model. The
. Kawasaki’s theorem states that if the angles are tree method finds the folding pattern of the smallest
sequentially numbered, then the sum of the odd possible square into some desired uniaxial base,
angles must equal the sum of the even angles. and the projection onto a plane is the shadow tree.
This is evident in Figure 2, e.g. the sum of angles The base is uniaxial because the algorithm can
1, 3 and 5 is equal to the sum of angles 2, 4 and 6 in produce bases with hinged flaps that can be folded
the vertex on the left. to lie in a single vertical plane, resulting in a single-
. Maekawa’s theorem states that the number of line shadow tree. TreeMaker is a program based on
mountains must differ from the number of valleys this idea and it generates the crease pattern necessary
by  2. Every vertex in the crease pattern shown in to fold any specific uniaxial base from the smallest
Figure 2 satisfies this condition, where mountain square of paper. Consider folding a model of a
and valley creases are black and gray respectively. cat, for example, where the base would consist of
. The degree n must be even to satisfy Maekawa’s the body with six limbs (one head, one tail, and four
theorem. legs). The shadow tree and uniaxial base for such a
. For a complete origami design with multiple ver- lizard can be represented by the design shown in
tices, the crease pattern has to be two-colorable, Figure 3.
2348 Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 230(14)

These universal molecules are constructed as cross-

sections of the polygon as it undergoes a constant
shrinking process, where all the edges are kept parallel
to the original edges. Higher dimensions in the uni-
axial base, moving up from the shadow tree,
correspond to increasingly reduced polygons.
Simultaneously, the shadow tree is shrinking inwards
to reflect the height of the leaves approaching the top
of the uniaxial base. Tracking the trajectories of the
original polygons’ vertices provides the core creases of
the crease pattern used to fold the desired uniaxial
base, and they must all be mountain folds. Further
Figure 3. Top: uniaxial base. Bottom: corresponding shadow
detailed steps are necessary to complete the crease
tree.
pattern design and guarantee that the base is
To generate the crease pattern from the smallest achievable.
piece of paper, consider two points pi and pj on the
paper before it is folded and the corresponding points
si and sj projected onto the shadow tree after the uni-
Rigidity theory
axial base is folded. The distance between si and sj, Understanding how linkages fold and unfold involves
i.e. dsi ,sj , following the lines that make up the tree, or rigidity, a key concept in origami engineering. A link-
the shadow path, must be less than or equal to dpi ,pj . age can be represented by a graph consisting of ver-
This leads to a key lemma in tree theory, which forms tices and edges. A configuration is a linkage that
an invariant constraint that must be satisfied through- includes coordinates for the vertices that satisfy each
out every reduction made in the algorithm. The path edge length. When a linkage folds or moves, it reaches
between si and sj is termed active if si and sj are leaves, many configurations and the complete set defines
meaning they lie on the end of the limb such that only the configuration space. A linkage configuration is
one point in the paper maps to the leaf on the shadow ‘flexible’ if it can move from some initial configuration
tree, and if dpi ,pj ¼ dsi ,sj . Active paths are used to scale in a non-trivial way (i.e. a motion that is not just
the shadow tree to its smallest size to fit on a piece of a translation or rotation); otherwise it is ‘rigid’.
paper. A planar truss is an example of a rigid linkage
Let l be a scale factor that satisfies dpi ,pj 5l dsi ,sj . configuration. Testing rigidity of a given linkage
The scale optimization step of the algorithm involves configuration is a co-NP hard problem. For this
maximizing l, or driving the shadow paths to become reason, several assumptions and simplifications are
active paths. It is possible to design an efficient uni- made. There are mathematical constructions available
axial base folding pattern by drawing circles centered to classify linkages as generically and minimally gen-
on the leaf edges and with diameters equal to the erically rigid. Useful applications are based on these
length of the limb on the base in its folded state, studies, such as algorithms for building rigid linkage
where the circle defines the maximum possible reach structures with the smallest number of links.
distance after folding from the point at its center. This Combining the ideas of rigidity and linkages allows
disk packing method uses non-linear optimization to locked linkages to be mathematically defined as having
arrive at a reasonable solution. a disconnected configuration space.1 Linkages can be
After optimizing these paths, the folding of the configured as either a chain or a tree. A chain is essen-
base can be determined. The points in the shadow tially a set of edges with a vertex and at least one other
tree, which occur at intersections and ends of lines, edge connected to it at each endpoint. A tree is a set of
require incident creases in the crease pattern. edges that can have branches of edges that end with-
Furthermore, the active paths in the shadow tree out reconnecting back into the inner set. 2D chains
guarantee incident creases line up in parallel with a can never be locked, while trees can. On the other
point in between, because this shortest path is the only hand, all 3D chains and trees can be locked.1 An
way an active path can exist. In this way, the problem unlocked configuration can be folded to any other
is broken up into subproblems, where uniaxial bases configuration.
are made for each of the convex polygons determined The study of slender adornments on folding struc-
by active paths or the boundary of the piece of paper. tures is another important concept used to transition
The constraints of bordering convex polygons must be from theory to engineering applications. Linkage
satisfied and a universal construction tool is imple- chains and trees consisting of just edges have been
mented to ensure realizability. analyzed for unfolding and locking, but additional
A universal molecule is used to fold a uniaxial base thicknesses or polygons have not been included.
from any convex polygon of paper, where the vertices Slender adornments are arbitrary thicknesses or poly-
and edges of the polygon correspond to the leaves on, gons that are attached to links in a chain or tree-like
and the structure of, the shadow tree, respectively. configuration. Consider taking a standard linkage
Turner et al. 2349

chain and adding polygons on the chain instead of

just the edges. These polygons will still be hinged at
the vertices of the linkage configuration, but now
instead of being concerned about overlapping edges,
the non-crossing constraint becomes more difficult
because the polygons will have less room to move
before they intersect. Triangulating the polygons to
model them as linkage configurations allows the
same rules of rigidity and ideas of locked linkages to
be applied.

Unfolding, folding and creases

To unfold a cube (or any polyhedron) consider cut-
ting along the edges and then flattening the geometry
into a plane. The reverse is the folding process. These
ideas have many applications, for example folding any
3D shape out of a sheet of material requires knowing Figure 4. Top: edge unfolding. Bottom: general unfolding.
what shape to cut out of the original plane, and the
necessary creases, so that it can be folded into the
desired form without inefficient overlaps. Edge
unfolding is a process where the cuts are only made
along the edges of a surface. This is desirable if no equal-length subsections of the boundaries of a 2D
visible seams can exist in the folded object. In general, polygonal shape with one another in such a way
cuts can be made anywhere on the 3D surface. In both that, when connected or glued, they form a polyhe-
cases, one piece of the sheet material with no over- dron in three dimensions. The metric is determined by
lapping regions is required. A non-convex polyhedron the shortest paths between any two points and will be
cannot always be edge-unfolded because the 2D shell convex if all points have zero or a positive curvature.
often overlaps itself upon unfolding. General unfold- Additionally, the metric should be topologically a
ing is an open problem. Note that convex and non- sphere, that is to say that the gluing should be com-
convex refer to the folded 3D form, not the unfolded plete (no edges left out) and free of overlaps, which
2D sheet. Figure 4 illustrates both cases of folding. ensures no self-intersection of panels during folding.
The upper cube is deconstructed using edge unfolding This idea is shown in the simple folding of a cube in
and the bottom cube using a general unfolding Figure 5. Note the edges are paired together by their
process where the cuts are not constrained to the colors, and the gluing pattern, indicated by the lines
edges. connecting edges, does not overlap. The metric should
There are several methods used to achieve unfold- also be polyhedral, meaning only a finite number of
ing of polyhedra. Edge unfolding for both convex and points have non-zero curvature. These properties,
non-convex polyhedra, vertex unfolding, orthogonal when satisfied together, can be termed Alexandrov
polyhedra unfolding, and grid unfolding are all meth- gluings.
ods that have been explored.1 These ideas can be There are computer programs available that tell
applied in engineering contexts when the problem of us how to fold any polygon with this type of gluing
adding a finite thickness to the surface is addressed. (see http://www3.math.tu-berlin.de/geometrie/ps/soft-
The problem involves folding 2D surfaces into a 3D ware.shtml). However, there also exist polygons that
polyhedron. Exact coverage is desired, i.e. multiple are ungluable. Additional algorithms exist for deter-
layers are not allowed. mining the number of possible gluings and methods
Instead of cutting edges (as in unfolding) the idea used to achieve smooth foldings and unfoldings.
of gluing may be used to affix edges to one another These fairly abstract ideas have been applied to
during folding. Given a gluing pattern of a 2D shape, packaging and coverage problems in engineering.
shortest paths can be determined before folding the For example, determining the most efficient way
3D polyhedron. The shortest path on some surface to cover a spherical ball of chocolate with an ini-
S between two points i and j is the shortest of all tially flat piece of tin foil, which can be modeled by
curves connecting points i and j. Shortest paths a polygon covering a polyhedron with minimal
always exist, but are not necessarily unique, and overlap.13
must exist as a straight line if the surface is unfolded The idea of fold and one cut is an origami design
to a plane.1 A 2D polygon plus the gluings that bring tool that originated as a magic trick. Consider cutting
it together create metrics, which are the distances out a simple five-point star shape. Starting from a
points within a folded polyhedron are from one square piece of paper, this shape would take 10 cuts
another. The gluing of a polygon involves matching to produce. Now imagine folding that square piece of
2350 Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 230(14)

Figure 6. Common origami crease patterns, where the

dashed and solid lines indicate mountain and valley folds,
Figure 5. Polygon to fold a cube with gluing and metrics respectively (a) waterbomb base, (b) Miura-ori pattern,
shown. (c) Yoshimura pattern, and (d) diagonal pattern.

paper in such a way that one straight cut through the and is used to create concave or convex structures,
folded paper would produce the star upon unfolding. which are useful in architectural applications. The
It has been proven that any planar graph, or shape Miura-ori pattern has been extensively used in
made up of only straight lines, can be produced by engineering.
this method, although some would take an unrealistic
number of creases to achieve.14 The basic method of
the fold-and-one-cut origami design is to line up all of
Waterbomb base
the edges of the desired figure onto one line that can The waterbomb base has applications in smart mater-
be cut. The Huzita–Hatori axioms provide the foun- ials and actuation due to its simple geometry and mul-
dation for these algorithms. This is a universal possi- tiple phases of motion,17 and is commonly used as a
bility as any set of line segments on a piece of paper base for more complicated designs. The folded states
can be aligned by flat-folding. Applications of these are shown in the center and right in Figure 7. It is
algorithms are rooted in manufacturing. easily manufactured, has a transferable crease pattern,
is readily scalable, is rigid-foldable, can be expanded
for different designs, and can be actuated in three dif-
Common crease patterns
ference phases of motion.17 The waterbomb base is
The Miura-ori pattern, waterbomb base, Yoshimura also flat-foldable and when tessellated it creates an
pattern, and diagonal pattern are all common rigid- axial contraction segment with a negative Poisson’s
foldable crease patterns.15 Figure 6 shows these four ratio between the radial and axial directions.
crease patterns, which can be tessellated to form struc-
tures on any scale. The major features that distinguish
these designs are that the waterbomb base and Miura-
Yoshimura pattern and diagonal pattern
ori patterns can expand and contract in all directions, The Yoshimura pattern is a tessellation of diamonds,
the Yoshimura pattern is capable of translational with either all mountain or all valley folds along diag-
motion and the diagonal pattern allows for rotary onals. The curve of the sheet after folding, which
motion. yields the radius of a cylinder or curve, depends on
the shape of the diamonds in the pattern. A hexagonal
variation of this crease pattern is also possible if add-
Miura-ori pattern itional folds are made along the diagonals of the dia-
The Miura-ori pattern is auxetic, meaning it exhi- monds. The diagonal pattern is also common in
bits a negative Poisson’s ratio (i.e., when the pattern folding cylinders. However, instead of contracting
is stretched in one direction, the folded sheet in a translational manner, it rotates as it collapses.15
expands in the orthogonal, planar direction), flat It was first observed as the natural reaction when tor-
and rigid-foldability, and single-degree-of-freedom sion was applied to a cylinder.18 The crease pattern
actuation. It was invented for use in space solar is made up of parallelograms that are folded in one
panels.16 Figure 7 (left) illustrates the folding direction along their diagonals and in the opposite
motion of a Miura-ori pattern. A variation of this direction along their parallels. The valley folds of a
pattern uses trapezoids rather than parallelograms Yoshimura pattern form a planar polygonal line,
Turner et al. 2351

Figure 7. Left: Miura-ori pattern. Center and right: waterbomb base in two stable equilibrium positions.

while the valley folds of a diamond pattern form a mathematical results that have been developed,
helical polygonal line.19 2D surfaces, with zero thickness, are assumed.
Several methods for adding thickness have been pro-
Mechanical engineering applications posed and they all involve some adjustment at the
hinges, or creases. Essentially, the edges in any folding
of origami
design can be hinged together at valley creases. The
This section outlines the major applications of ori- main problem is when there are several fold lines at
gami in mechanical engineering. While there is not a one vertex. There can no longer be concurrent edges
complete disconnect between the theory and applica- and the edges become over-constrained. There are
tions, the dependency of applications on the theory is ways to use symmetry at each vertex and achieve a
not as extensive as it is in more mature mechanical workable design. There are also slidable hinges that
engineering disciplines. Where appropriate we point allow edges to slide along the faces of connecting
out the connections and at the very end of this section panels.
we provide an overview of the relationship between One way to solve the over-constrained issue,
the theory and applications. instead of moving the hinges to valley folds, is to
trim the volume of the edges on the valley sides.
This allows the vertex to flex in a way that the edge
Applying origami to engineering does not intersect itself. Figure 8 shows examples of
Paper, which is assumed to be two dimensions in most these methods. Another hurdle in many origami
mathematical studies, is not the material that is used engineering applications is the cost and the time
in the vast majority of engineering applications. spent folding, which presents a barrier to applications
However, it is important to study and understand where folding may be introduced. Additionally, dur-
how paper folds between creases in origami in order ability must be achieved as engineering applications
to extrapolate these results to materials that are used will likely require repeated folding and unfolding. The
in engineering. Earlier, it was assumed that the faces following are some principal areas of mechanical
of the paper stayed straight during folding. However, engineering applications of origami.
this is not necessarily true because paper is flexible.
To explain how the surface folds, define Gaussian
Delivery, packaging and storage
curvature as the product of the minimum and the
maximum curvature at any one point on a 3D surface. Folding can be used to improve the performance of
It is negative for saddles, positive for convex cones, devices that operate in a limited space. For this
and zero for intrinsically flat surfaces. The total reason, devices in this area generally exist in either a
Gaussian curvature never changes during folding. folded or unfolded state, and do not display final
Folding a piece of paper will always result in a form motion in either orientation.
with zero curvature and the minimum curvature will
locally be zero at every point. This explains how slices Packaging. Most engineering applications make use of
of pizza are most effectively handled by depressing the materials that are less flexible than paper and are
middle of the crust to give some curvature to the slice approximated as rigid. Mathematical solutions can
and supporting the length of the pizza, which is now be implemented in many different engineering appli-
restricted from folding. cations. Packaging for consumer goods provides a
One major challenge in the transition from theor- widespread example of rigid origami, including auto-
etical origami to engineering is the addition of some mated packaging folding processes and designing the
finite thickness in the materials. In the majority of most efficient packaging.
2352 Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 230(14)

Figure 8. Volume trimming in thick origami.1

One recent example of origami in manufacturing operation to be completed within 1–2 s, allowing
packaging is flat-folding rigid shopping bags.20 the machine to compete in the packaging market.
The solution allows the bottom of the carton to An inverse kinematics approach is used to analyze
remain rigid and can be applied to shoppings bags the trajectories in this complicated packaging
with various dimension ratios and thicknesses. The problem.
new crease pattern is a variation of a traditional pat-
tern used for folding bags, but the upper and lower Shipping containers. The transportation of empty con-
portions are separated with a horizontal crease tainers is inevitable in the shipping industry, and sev-
around the bag. It is relatively easy to show that the eral attempts have been made to manufacture foldable
lower portion, including the base, is rigid-foldable. To shipping containers.22,23 This can be formulated as an
achieve a working design, the bag is split into four origami engineering problem. Simplicity and dur-
identical sections, centered at each corner, and only ability in unfolding and folding of the containers is
one section is analyzed due to symmetry. The vector- a must and lightweight materials should be used to
based approach ensures the bag is rigid-foldable by keep the tare weight down. Although actuation for
proving each panel in the structure remains planar folding is commonly used in engineering origami,
and connected to neighboring panels throughout the manual unfolding and folding may be more appropri-
entire folding motion. The only design variable is the ate in this case to reduce costs and to retain the
choice of an angle that dictates a crease on the side of robustness of the design. A similar crease pattern
the bag from the horizontal. This variable has max- as used in the rigid and flat-folding shopping bag
imum and minimum allowable values, determined by may be helpful in this application, given the robust-
the ratio of the height relative to the depth of the ness of that solution to various dimension ratios.20 So
entire bag. The only other restriction in the design is far two major foldable containers have been intro-
providing sufficient width to the bag to ensure that the duced into the market,22 but neither were commer-
top corners of the bag do not intersect during the cially successful as they had higher tare weights and
folding motion. Due to the highly non-linear nature were significantly more expensive than the standard
of the conditions leading to rigid-foldability, solutions containers. The search for a foldable container
are found numerically. continues.
Another analysis of carton packages focuses on the
tuck-in operation that is commonly used to secure a Optics. Origami has been used to determine the most
lid.21 An equivalent mechanism to a carton appears effective way of ‘folding’ long-focal-length optics into
here, where the creases are joints and the panels are small spaces, a field of study called optigami.24 The
links. The stiffness of the links is important because general idea is to reflect light, using mirrors, many
the tuck-in operation is not possible with a single rigid times to create high-resolution, large-aperture cam-
link. To achieve a design with rigid links, the carton eras with reduced thicknesses.25 This approach
lid is decomposed into an equivalent three-link mech- reduces the size and weight of imaging devices cur-
anism that allows the flap to be tucked in. The three rently in use, which finds application in surveillance,
smaller links can be considered rigid and the corres- telescopes, and cell phones for example. Studies are
ponding kinematic equations are derived that allow available on nanoscale origami used for 3D optics,26
the flap to be guided into the slot. The angular pos- and on photo-origami-bending and folding polymers
ition of the end of the flap is determined and the to program optical fields into materials.27 Another
necessary torque to drive this mechanism can be application of optigami is the Foldscope, which is a
found. A robotic manipulation device is then pro- flat microscope that can be used to achieve 2000
posed to carry out the tuck-in of the carton flap. magnification and submicron resolution.28 This
Motors are chosen for this task to allow the tuck-in device can be assembled in about 10 min from a flat
Turner et al. 2353

sheet of paper and several other small components

and results in an optical microscope costing less
than US$1.

Space. Rigid origami has for a long time been applied

in space to the deployment of solid solar panels29 and
inflatable booms for deployable space structures.30
A benefit of rigid origami is its scalability and
single-degree-of-freedom actuation. Origami fold
patters have inspired mechanical linkages that
exploit the motion of a single vertex and extend this
kinematic behavior to a patterned system of vertices,
resulting in a mechanism that exhibits single- Figure 9. Origami stent crease pattern.
degree-of-freedom motion. The Miura-ori pattern
(Section 3.1) was first introduced for the deployment
of solid solar panels in space and continues to be stent, which is a tessellation of the waterbomb base
used.31 Figure 7 shows the folding pattern in three (Section 3.2) and is connected at opposite edges to
folding positions. This pattern is ideal for folding form a cylinder.
solar panels because it satisfies the constraints of
rigid and flat foldability. Other storage applications. Several other applications of
origami in storage and delivery must be mentioned.
Biomedical devices. Biomedical applications represent Automobile airbag design involves folding an airbag
a growing area of interest in origami engineering into a compact state that allows it to be rapidly
devices designed for delivery in constrained unfolded in milliseconds. The 3D shape of the
spaces. To date, 3D biomedical structures such as airbag is critical in the effectiveness of the device,
encapsulants, particles, scaffolds, bioartifical and concepts from rigid origami and flat foldability
organs, drug delivery devices32 and minimally inva- are used to design the creases that flatten the airbag.
sive surgical tools have been explored.33 New self- Classic origami geometries are being used to create
assembly techniques, actuated by heating or a antennas and other electronics designed to collapse
chemical stimulus, are being used to complement down to small sizes. Several designs, following from
existing 3D tissue fabrication and patterning meth- the accordion or pleat fold bases or variations of the
ods. Self-folding can occur in hingeless 2D planar Yoshimura pattern (Section 3.3) for collapsible
structures, resulting in curved structures, and also cylinders, have been developed.35,36 The frequency
in hinged micro- and nanoscale structures that of each antenna can be tuned based on its height,
result in 3D polyhedra. When temperature is used providing a device that can be stored in a pocket
to actuate folding, polymers can be used in the and then easily deployed for long-distance communi-
planar materials, and the edges of the polymer cation needs.
will fuse together after self-folding, creating a mech- An origami-inspired kayak can be manually
anically robust device. unfolded from a 3200  1300  2800 box to a 120
Surgical devices can benefit from self-folding and long  2500 wide fully deployed vessel in just a few
tetherless tools that allow greater access to hard- minutes.37 Rigid origami concepts and the Miura-ori
to-reach areas within the human body and truly pattern (Section 3.1) have also been used to design
non-invasive surgery. Origami-inspired forceps have lithium-ion batteries that fold, bend, and twist to pro-
been developed based on spherical kinematic config- vide deformable energy storage devices.38
urations of origami models, and the use of shape- Applications of this technology include flexible dis-
memory alloys (SMAs) will promote research in plays,39–41 stretchable circuits,42 hemispherical elec-
this application. A new design for a stent graft has tronic eyes,43 epidermal electronics,44 and conductive
been inspired by origami and can be deployed in a textiles.45
blocked or weakened artery or intestine, where it is
unfolded to unblock the area in a minimally invasive
way.34 The SMA is deployed when exposed to body
Manufacturing
temperature. It also includes an integrated enclosure Origami has been the inspiration for many applica-
that prevents restenosis, which is the blocking of a tions within mechanisms used in manufacturing.
stent by subsequent tissue ingrowth through open- Fundamental origami concepts have been used to
ings in the meshes. A common triangular mesh fold- study kinematics of mechanisms, simplified process-
ing pattern is used to create a cylindrical structure ing, automated folding, and optimized self-folding.
that folds down, both laterally and in diameter, and This section outlines applications of origami in mech-
then can be deployed and re-opened once in position. anical engineering related to these subjects. Generally,
Figure 9 shows the crease pattern of the origami devices for this type of application exhibit some final
2354 Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 230(14)

motion in their folded and/or unfolded state and thus Origami has also inspired the design of a new class
can be classified as action origami. This is a unique of robotic systems specifically designed for new rapid
characteristic as compared to applications categorized and scalable manufacturing processes. Building
in Section 4.2, which are generally designed to fold sophisticated 3D mechanisms from a 2D base struc-
and unfold into static states. ture incorporates elaborate folding patterns that can
execute complex functions through the use of actuated
Self-folding and self-assembly. It is common for engineer- hinges or spring elements. An origami approach that
ing systems to require complex and time-consuming will significantly drive further advancement in print-
manufacturing processes and deployment methods. able robotics has been identified.15 Hardware limita-
However, nature provides many examples of tions are currently constraining the mobility,
self-folding structures that can be quickly fabricated manipulation capabilities, and manufacturing of
and assembled, which have inspired novel engineering robots. Complications also arise in software as an
methods. Self-folding ‘‘automates the construction of algorithm capable of manipulating the paper in the
arbitrarily complex geometries at arbitrarily large or correct sequence with the least number of steps is
small scales’’,46 and, by doing so, can provide innova- desirable. By employing an origami approach, 3D
tive solutions allowing for faster manufacturing pro- mechanisms capable of complex tasks can be printed
cesses, reduced material usage, reduced part count, on 2D planar sheets and then subsequently folded
and improved strength-to-weight ratios. into some final state. This is a low-cost and extremely
A variety of self-folding mechanisms have been fast method for designing and fabricating new robots
explored to date. A highly referenced systematic with expanded capabilities. An additional benefit is
study of self-folding, without any direct mention of that these robots have the potential to be folded
origami has been compiled.47 Examples of self-folding back down to a planar state for storage and
origami engineering include mesoscale structures that transportation.15
fold when actuated by lasers and magnetic fields,48,49
pop-up mechanisms that use micro-electromechanical Mechanisms. Studying mechanisms is an area of inter-
systems techniques,50,51 SMAs that actuate self-fold- est in mathematical origami. Again, we will have little
ing sheets of programmable matter,52 single-use shape to say about this because of the extensive literature
memory polymers (SMPs) that self-fold into target that currently exists on the subject. Origami can be
structures using selective light absorption with pat- directly modeled as a compliant mechanism, where
terned inks,53,54 and self-folding robots and structures the creases act on pin joints and allow motion.61,62
that rely on SMPs with resistive heaters.46,55–58 Lamina emergent mechanisms (LEMs) are a subset
A methodology has been developed to coax thin mem- that have an initial flat state and motion emerging
branes into collapsing into 3D forms on microscopic out of the fabrication plane, which is analogous to
and smaller scales.59 Using a triangular network of folding origami from a flat sheet of paper. The
creases, a thin membrane can achieve a variety of pseudo-rigid-body model (PRBM) is a model repre-
desirable forms that include flat sheets, partially senting compliant mechanisms as rigid-link mechan-
crumpled or collapsed into a compact state. isms with torsional springs at their revolute joints.61
A Brownian motion simulation is used to analyze Graph theory offers a common ground between mech-
the dynamic collapse of a membrane, which employs anisms and origami as the two can be abstracted to a
the same crease pattern as the origami stent.34 common graph.2 This allows mechanisms and origami
to be understood and analyzed using similar conven-
Robotics for origami. Manufacturing origami-inspired tions and mathematical techniques.
products requires robots capable of bending and fold- Spherical mechanisms are often used to study kine-
ing materials. Mathematical models and origami con- matic origami models. The motion of the origami
cepts are largely applied to linkages and mechanisms, model is traced down the folds to the center of each
which are directly used in robotics. Though this is an spherical mechanism. In this way, a vertex in origami
essential part of the application of origami to mech- is equivalent to the sphere center of a spherical mech-
anical engineering, we will not devote much space to it anism.60,63,64 Once the vertex is located, the folds that
here because robotics and its applications have been are in motion can be identified and these folds map to
extensively considered elsewhere in the literature. links in the corresponding spherical mechanism.
Manipulating paper to fold traditional origami exem- In most origami models, artistic features disguise the
plifies many of the current challenges faced in dex- underlying mechanisms. However, graph theory and
trous manipulation and flexible object manipulation simplified origami models have been made to classify
in the field of robotics today. For this reason, robots the types of spherical mechanisms used today in
that fold traditional paper origami have been used to action origami. The classification scheme is purpose-
uncover and explore the difficulties associated with fully generalized—neglecting the number of links, link
the manipulation, modeling, and design of foldable lengths, link shapes, and internal angles–to allow for
structures.60 flexibility so that the same fundamental mechanisms
Turner et al. 2355

can be applied to provide motion for very different geometry, which is achieved through folding different
models.3 lengths of the MPF. Electrically isolating two MPFs
results in a capacitor, and the capacitance can be con-
Pop-up mechanisms. Pop-up mechanisms offer an inter- trolled through folding by altering the surface area
esting area of study relating mechanisms to origami. and spacing between plates. An inductor in the form
They deviate from the traditional rules of origami and of a coil can be used as an actuation mechanism,
even those of kirigami, by allowing cuts and the use of where the inductance is determined by the number
glue to attach more than one piece of paper together of coils and the coil geometry, which can be controlled
in a design. However, they do exhibit the concepts of through folding. Specifically designed folding patterns
flat-foldability, making them very interesting and were defined by laser machining to manufacture the
useful to study. Commonly seen in children’s books, MPFs necessary to fold into these components.
pop-up mechanisms involve a 3D structure self-erect- Dielectric elastomers (DEs) exhibit favorable
ing by the action of opening one crease. Several prin- material properties for folding and unfolding and,
ciples involved in designing pop-up mechanisms have for that reason, have been used to actuate origami
been studied with the intent of closing the gap structures.68 DEs are low-modulus electroactive poly-
between art and engineering applications. Further mers that use an electric stimulation to cause a
understanding of the kinematic principles at play in Maxwell stress that drives a lightweight polymer, gen-
these complex mechanisms provide insight into poten- erating mechanical motion. DEs have high specific
tial applications beyond paper engineering, such as elastic energy density, large strain response, fast
airbag folding, sheet metal forming, protein folding, response time, high actuation stress, and high electro-
packaging, and other single-degree-of-freedom mechanical coupling efficiency.69,70
applications.65
Structures
Industrial origami. Origami-structured industrial prod-
ucts start from a flat sheet of material and then are The following are some applications of origami that
folded into some final shape. This method offers a low appear in mechanical engineering structures.
manufacturing cost and provides advantages such as
rigidity in the folded state and flat-foldability for stor- Deployable structures. Several origami concepts, such as
age and transportation. The folding process also flat-foldability and single-degree-of-freedom actu-
introduces strength in the material. One application ation, find applications in the design of deployable
that has been explored is manufacturing sheet metal structures. Some of these applications use a cylin-
such that it can be folded to create the frame of con- drical shell that collapses into a 2D plane under tor-
sumer appliances66. This study analyzes the material sional loading, which naturally creates the diagonal
properties and forming process required to create pattern (Section 3.3) shown in Figure 6 and discussed
large-scale metal products in industrial applications. previously in this review. Figure 10 is a series of
images displaying the folding motion of the diagonal
Electrical devices. Print and self-fold electrical devices pattern. Experiments show that the analysis is
on the millimeter scale have been created using a poly- inaccurate for shorter cylinders where the boundary
ester film coated on one side with isotropic aluminum conditions, either assumed to be simply supported or
(a metalized polyester film, MPF). When globally clamped, interfere with the buckling pattern.18 In add-
heated, the internal stress due to the contraction in ition, membrane compression is maximized at some
the sheet is transformed into a folding torque.67 The oblique angle to the axial direction. Optimization
2D film is folded into 3D electric devices; specifically a of the truss design for folding and unfolding with
resistor, a capacitor, and an inductor. Particular minimal energy input for more versatile deploy-
resistances can be attained by varying the material’s able structure applications remains to be done.

Figure 10. Foldable cylinder based on twist buckling.

2356 Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 230(14)

Figure 11. Leaf patterns. Left: leaf-out. Right: leaf-in.

Biomimicking has also inspired the design of deploy- to remain intact during the folding motion.78
able structures.71,72 A mathematical approach to the rotational hinges
Tree leaves were the inspiration behind deployable model using rotational matrices has been proposed.79
membranes. Leaves have biologically evolved with a The structural configuration is represented by the
balance of flexibility and rigidity, which allows them folding angles contained along some closed strip of
to fold in the wind to decrease drag and damage, facets in the model that remain connected during
while simultaneously being strong enough to support the folding motion.
their own weight along with occasional other loads.
Veins and midribs in leaves act as stiffening members, Architecture. There are several advantages to a rigid-
or links, supporting flexible membrane panels. The foldable origami design in architectural applications.
geometric study of tree leaves, including relating the These include: (a) a watertight, continuous surface is
folding pattern to the Miura-ori pattern (Section 3.1), ideal for constructing an envelope of any space, roof,
has been carried out.73 As defined in the study, a leaf- or facade; (b) a rigid origami model offers a purely
out pattern is one in which the ‘leaves’ are directed geometric mechanism that can be realized at any scale
away from the center of the polygon and vice versa for because it does not rely on the elasticity of the mater-
the leaf-in, as shown in Figure 11. Variations and ials and is not significantly hindered by gravity; and
combinations of several known leaf patterns are (c) the transformation of rigid origami from an
explored in order to produce deployable structures, unfolded state to a final configuration is controlled
which include solar panels, antennas, solar sails, fold- by a smaller number of degrees of freedom, which
ing tents, and roof structures.74 enables semi-automatic deployment.78
Deployable shelters, used primarily for disaster Applying rigid origami to designs in architecture,
relief and military operational bases, represent the geometry in kinetic motion is analyzed to discover
another origami-inspired application.75–77 The generalized methods through which additional rigid
key design features of these structures include light- origami designs can be created and existing designs
weight frames, high volume expansion ratios, and can be modified. Studies using the Miura-ori pattern
rigid-foldability. Accordion or pleat crease patterns, (Section 3.1) have been made.4,80,81 Using common
and variations thereof, have been used in previous rigid origami patterns, two basic approaches to
studies. More intricate crease patterns, with achieve rigid-foldability have been proposed. One
more optimal folding behaviors, can be applied in approach is based on triangulated patterns where
the future. the degree of freedom is determined by the number
Two techniques are used to analyze the kinematics of elements on the boundary. Another involves quad-
of origami. The unstable truss model uses the config- rilateral patterns that provide single-degree-of-free-
uration of vertices of the structure to constrain the dom motion. The latter has been employed to
motion of the structure by preserving the length of demonstrate an architectural application of rigid ori-
the links in between vertices and the diagonals of gami for the design of a foldable hallway connecting
the facets. This ensures that both the links and the two offset and uniquely sized openings between build-
panels in the model are rigid. The second method is ings.78 The design begins from a known regular quad-
the rotational hinges model, which uses the rotational rilateral origami pattern, which is modified to satisfy
angles of edges to represent the structure. To con- several constraints through optimization using the
strain the motion, this model forces closed loops Newton–Raphson method. In the end, a variational
Turner et al. 2357

design is found and a method for thickening the humidity accumulation.86 The foldcore is fabricated
panels for manufacturing is proposed. by carving or stamping the creases onto a sheet mater-
ial and folding along these edges. A zig-zag pattern
X-Ray machine shroud. Origami-adapted structures has been used to create a core and aramid paper has
have been devised to cover the non-sterile extension been tested and simulated as a base material to deter-
C-arm of an X-ray machine in an operating room. mine its mechanical properties and performance while
Plastic drapes have traditionally been used, but they folding.86
were not durable and had to be replaced every time Kirigami has inspired a new graded conventional
the movable device entered and exited the sterile field. or auxetic honeycomb core with higher density-aver-
To achieve a sturdy design that met the sterilization aged properties, including compressive modulus and
needs but did not limit the movement and position of strength.6 To produce complex geometries capable of
the arm, an origami-based design was implemented.82 achieving an auxetic honeycomb core, kirigami has
The design uses a slightly modified version of the been used to create a cellular tessellation with
Miura-ori pattern (Section 3.1) to account for the improved performance over traditional honeycomb
contours of the arm. Essentially, the shroud design cores. Similarly, a lattice auxetic pyramidal core has
covers the entire arm, creating a barrier, while it been developed.87
rotates in and out of the sterile field. This approach
saves time and money associated with repositioning Graphene folding. Graphene is an engineering material
the machine. composed of a single layer of carbon atoms bonded in
a repeating hexagonal pattern. The material is so thin
Energy absorption. Compliant mechanisms modeled by that it can be approximated as 2D and can easily fold
origami have inspired several designs for energy when subjected to external stimuli. It is also extremely
absorption and impact force distribution. The strong and conducts heat and electricity with great
Miura-ori folding pattern again finds utility in efficiency. Studies have explored the folding behavior
energy dissipation through crushing or plastically of mono- and multi-layer graphene sheets.88
deforming its shape. This is due to its single- The introduction of other shapes into the hexagonal
degree-of-freedom motion paired with a negative network, including pentagons and hexagons, can
Poisson’s ratio.83 This unique mechanical property is influence the way a graphene sheet folds and the 3D
helpful in absorbing energy in the deformation of the forms it can achieve, which directly influence its
folds and distributing an impact force throughout a material properties.
structure.84 Compliant mechanisms are used to ana- This research provides a starting point for graphene
lyze paper origami and origami-adapted engineering origami which can be used to engineer carbon nano-
designs, and the best have been shown to have a high tubes, cones, graphene wraps, and other structures
yield-stress-to-elastic-modulus ratio. that exploit the many favorable characteristics of gra-
Another origami pattern used in energy absorp- phene at small scales. Programmable graphene ori-
tion, as well as deployable and foldable structures, is gami is of interest and is used to create nanoscale
the Tachi–Miura polyhedron (TMP) bellows, which is building blocks. A self-folded tri-layer graphene spe-
a rigid-foldable, approximately cylindrical structure cimen was analyzed using a non-linear continuum
composed of two modified Miura-ori rectangular mechanics model based on beam theory along with
sheets attached at the two longer edges. In an analyt- molecular dynamics simulations.
ical model,85 the flat facets of the TMP remain flat
during the folding motion and all deformation occurs Curved-crease origami. Traditional origami, and virtu-
strictly along the crease lines, so the mechanical work ally all engineering origami, is concerned with straight
done by the external force can be equated to the bend- line creases. Several aesthetic and purely mathemat-
ing energy along the crease lines, with some energy ical explorations of curved-crease structures exist and
dissipation. the geometric mechanics of these structures have been
explored.89 To form a foundation for advanced ana-
Sandwich core structures. Sandwich core patterns are lyses of curved crease structures, which may provide
used in many structures, including aircraft and wind advantageous structural properties in some applica-
turbines, to increase strength-to-weight ratios. tions, a simple example of curved-crease origami con-
Conventional methods include hexagonal honey- sisting of a circular strip with a single crease along its
combs, but these designs possess positive Poisson’s center has been folded to form a 3D buckled struc-
ratios, which result in the structure bending into a ture. The angle of the fold, radius of the circle and
saddle-shaped curve when stressed in one plane. properties of the paper are used to quantify the shape
Foldcores are origami structural sandwich and analyze the folded structure.
cores created by folding a planar base into a stronger It has been shown that a cut annulus with a con-
3D structure. A design has been suggested centric, circular crease remains flat after folding, while
that exploits the advantageous properties of honey- the same crease in an uncut, complete circular annulus
comb cores while avoiding the disadvantages of forces the form to fold into a saddle due to the
2358 Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 230(14)

elasticity of the sheet and the in-plane stresses created folded surface, resulting in a range of resonance
by the crease. In either case, the folded state is driven frequencies.92
by minimizing the total elastic energy from the sheet
and the fold, which are derived and expressed in terms
Applications summary
of the curvature of the paper and the torsion within
the crease. The paper is treated as a developable sur- As is clear from the length of this section, the appli-
face, which restricts stretching between the creases cations of origami in mechanical engineering
and in this way models rigid origami. A triangular are diverse, interesting and important. Figure 12
mesh model for the curved structure, where each illustrates the relationship among the origami proper-
edge was treated as a linear spring, was used to min- ties such as flat-foldability, the folding patterns and
imize the energy of the system using a direct numerical the applications which make use of them.
approach. The study continues to define geometric
constraints associated with the maximum dihedral
Origami-based design procedures
angle of the fold relative to the curvature and torsion.
A more advanced study involving a series of concen- Now that a broad overview of origami applications in
tric curved folds (an example of pleat folding due to engineering has been presented, the advantages and
the altering mountain–valley pattern) has furthered usefulness of origami-based design becomes more
the structural understanding of curved-crease ori- clear. There are four basic properties that must be
gami.90 In this case, the resulting shapes include a considered in converting a crease pattern into a func-
saddle shape, similar to the case of a single crease, tional engineering design.93
as well as a helical form.
1. Rigid-foldability is a property of a crease pattern.
If the crease pattern is proved to be rigid-foldable,
Additional applications
then crease characterization (step 2) can occur.
The above three application spaces encompass the If not, several secondary creases must be added
majority of current research in origami related to or boundary material must be removed to allow
mechanical engineering. Another origami applica- for rigid-foldability. Non-rigid designs are analo-
tion that does not fit easily in the previous sections gous to over-constrained structures. By adding
is the use of mathematical origami in computer additional joints, the number of degrees of free-
graphics to enhance the rate at which data is sent dom in the design can be increased to allow the
through a computer in animation.91 In tunable meta- crease pattern to be rigid-foldable.
materials origami is used to adjust the spacing 2. The surface need to be classified as uninterrupted
between a series of split-ring resonators placed on a continuous and the creases must be characterized

Figure 12. Relationship among fold properties, fold types and applications.
Turner et al. 2359

by the degree to which strain energy storage is into a string, which is adopted based on previous
desired. An uninterrupted continuous surface is a research, proving that linear chains of polygonal
closed surface without holes. If this is a desirable models can be folded into arbitrary 3D shapes;
characteristic in the application, then scoring, 5. threading the string through the correct Eulerian
etching, heating, or mechanical folds can be used cycle to allow for folding and reconfigurability;
to create the creases. If no constraint for and
an uninterrupted continuous surface exists, then 6. closing each individual loop and attaching all
perforations can also be used. compound joints.
3. Strain energy, stored elastically in the creases, is the
next factor. Depending on the design constraints, The results of this study provide the foundation for
differing amounts of strain energy storage are desir- future applications where the kinematic performance
able. Heavier perforations or deeper scoring are of reconfigurable polyhedral mechanisms can be
methods used to modify the cross-sectional area exploited.
at the creases and raise the crease hinge index,
improving the hinge behavior. If more strain
Available software
energy storage is desired, then a lower hinge index
material, which includes polymers and metals, can There are several software packages currently avail-
be used. The material properties and dimensions able for use in the design of origami and origami-
dictate the strain energy capacity and relate to the inspired devices. A suite of functions written in
crease characterization. The material choices affect MATLABÕ has been made available to assist in the
the rigidity of the panels and the deflection at the design of rigid origami structures. This toolbox allows
creases. The appropriate stiffness or compliance, the analysis of Miura-ori (Section 3.1) variations,
depending on the application, can be designed by which are currently the most commonly used crease
setting the correct thickness of each of these parts. patterns in engineering applications. TreeMaker
Accommodating the thickness is another consid- allows users to generate crease patterns to create vir-
eration. Material selection is not limited to tually any origami base. Similarly, Origamizer is a
monolithic materials because composites and sand- software that generates the necessary crease pattern
wiched membranes have been used.29 to fold any polyhedron. A design software called
4. Once the material is chosen, the manufacturing Freeform Origami allows crease patterns of a model
method is the last step in the design. Creating to be altered and various features of a model, includ-
creases in the material is a challenge, and com- ing flat-foldability and developability, to be main-
puter numeric controlled (CNC) methods likely tained. Rigid Origami Simulator can replicate rigid
offer the most flexibility at this time. Several origami designs given crease patterns as inputs.
CNC methods have been discussed,93 including A computational origami program called Eos, or
plasma cutting, abrasive water jet cutting, laser E-origami system has formalized a method for con-
cutting, incremental sheet forming, and nibbling. structing origami models by defining a set of faces
Folding the final product can be achieved using and the corresponding fold lines and, although it
various methods, and automated folding, using a is capable of mathematical origami folding, it
robotics approach, has been considered.60 is preferred in artistic origami at this time.
MathematicaÕ also has software packages available
Another origami design procedure has been pro- that can simulate paper folding and several CAD pro-
posed but focuses on kinetogami,94 which allows grams, including SolidWorksÕ , have the option to use
cuts, as in kirigami, but also relies on folded hinges sheet metal as a material, which can be used to test
that exist across basic structural units (BSUs). BSUs and analyze rigid origami designs.
are structural polyhedral links with empty volumes
that are modeled as rigid bodies and used as building
Conclusions
blocks to create 3D forms. The design procedure,
which allows for manufacturing 2D sheets that can Origami is an art form that is currently finding many
continuously fold into 3D forms, involves: engineering applications. This survey describes the
main applications of origami in mechanical engineer-
1. designing a set of basic BSUs formed from tetra- ing. Though it is as yet rare for origami mathematics
hedral, cubic, prismatic, and pyramidal to be directly applied in engineering, the recent expan-
components; sion of the field has led to algorithms that can be used
2. synthesizing each BSU’s crease and cut pattern to to define the limits of folding and unfolding, and pro-
create a single 2D pattern; vide the basis for foundational concepts such as rigid-
3. altering the design parameters to provide foldability. Applications have been explored in areas
reconfigurability; such as aerospace, biomedical devices, packaging,
4. extending one BSU unfolded pattern along a storage, manufacturing, robotics, mechanisms, self-
linear path on a sheet, and folding each pattern folding devices, core structures, and architecture.
2360 Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 230(14)

Ongoing research in origami engineering is improving 9. Cipra B, Demaine ED, Demaine ML, et al. (eds).
folding efficiency in many engineering operations and Tribute to a mathemagician. Natick, MA: AK Peters;
recent innovations are expanding the future capabil- 2004.
ities and usefulness of these devices. 10. Hull TC. The combinatorics of flat folds: A survey. In:
3rd international meeting of origami science, mathemat-
In order for the results of research in this area to
ics, and education, Asilomar, CA: AK Peters, 2001,
be successfully implemented in applications, some pp.29–38.
progress is needed in the basic sciences. Among 11. Lang RJ. The tree method of origami design. In: 2nd
these are: (a) improving understanding of folding international meeting of origami science and technology,
algorithms to fold increasingly intricate 3D structures Otsu, Shiga, Japan: Seian University of Art and Design,
in practice; (b) increasing the mechanical efficiency of 1994, pp.73–82.
folding to achieve cost-effective solutions; (c) deter- 12. Lang RJ. A computational algorithm for origami design.
mining procedures to modify existing and design In: 12th annual ACM symposium on computational geom-
entirely new crease patterns that allow folding in etry, Johns Hopkins University, 1996, pp.98–105. New
more effective ways; and (d) formalizing design York: ACM Press.
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ing. It is the authors’ hope that the present review
2009; 42(8): 748–757.
will encourage and inspire future origami-based 14. Bern M, Demaine E, Eppstein D, et al. A disk-packing
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Declaration of Conflicting Interests Shanghai, China, 2011, pp.4608–4613. Piscataway:
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with IEEE Press.
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