Origami Engineering Structures

ISfIM organized a lecture on Origami Engineering Structures on 23 January 2020 at School of Mechanical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The lecture was given by Professor Zhong You from Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. The lecture was well-attended with more than 50 participants.

Folding sequences of thick panels. The method may be used to fold space solar arrays.

Lecture Abstract:

Origami is the art of folding essentially two dimensional sheet materials like paper into three dimensional objects. It has recently gained popularity among scientists and engineers as the technique can be used to create shape-changing structures with unique mechanical properties. In the talk, I shall briefly outline the method for modelling origami and then introduce a number of novel engineering structures based on origami concepts, including origami honeycombs, energy absorption structures and origami structures for meta-materials. These origami structures have wide engineering applications ranging from aeronautical structures, military installations, and automobile structures to next generation of metamaterials. I shall end my talk with a few remarks for future work including automation in manufacturing origami structures.

Speaker Biography:

Dr Zhong You is a professor at Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. He works on non-conventional engineering structures including deployable aerospace structures, origami structures, energy absorption structures and medical devices for minimum invasive surgery. He publishes in prestigious journals such as Science, and his research was selected for the Science Day Exhibition at The Buckingham Palace.