Bioinspired Spring Origami
Researchers from the Complex Materials group and the Purdue University have developed multifunctional origami structures, which they then fabricated into 3D printed objects. The design principle mimics the structure of an earwig’s wing.
Every child knows about origami. The skill of this oriental art lies in folding a flat sheet of paper into different – and in some cases highly complex – structures. Examples of origami also exist in the natural world. The wing of an earwig is a perfect illustration: its elaborate design is far more ingenious than any manmade structure.
- ETH News: English, German
- Jakob A. Faber, Andres F. Arrieta, André R. Studart, Bioinspired spring origami, Science, Vol. 359, Issue 6382, pp. 1386-1391, external page DOI:10.1126/science.aap7753