Origami:A science with many applications

Origami is the traditional technique of Japanese paper folding. Modern science agrees there’s a lot they couldn’t do with out this ancient art form. Innovations developed in pursuit of the art find application in multiple fields, including applied mathematics and engineering. One application is the use of folding algorithms to pack air bags

Can a piece of paper save your life? You probably don’t know one modern invention was derived from the science of origami, the ancient art of paper folding. ”Science, technology, space, automotive, medicine — all these different fields have benefited from origami. Believable?  How can folding papers have these effects?

“There has been some testing that shows that after students have done origami, that they have a higher appreciation or understanding of various mathematical geometric concepts.It’s an ancient science that uses mathematics for modern day miracles. The twists and bends in an origami turtle may just make their way into your cell phone’s circuit board. And how can a paper scorpion actually save your life? The origami algorithms used to fold bugs are the same ones behind the invention of the air bags in our car.

An algorithm that origami artists had come up with for the design of insects was the right algorithm to give the creases for flattening an airbag. So that has now been adopted into airbag simulation code, and presumably automotive engineers are now using those codes to design airbags.Cal Tech says the applications are endless. From consumer programs to the space program, the options have yet to unfold.

Unit Origami Diagram

The instructions for unit origami are illustrated in the diagram (DIY) below:

Origami ‘How-to’

Instructions for Unit Origami

Origami

Unit Origami Diagram

Origami Instructions

 

Origami-One Unit Instructions

Unit Origami Diagram

This assignment began innocently enough. I’m not very skilled with origami, but the structure that Dr. Do showed us seemed simple enough to recreate. I learned the hard way that it can be very difficult to render three-dimensional objects in two-dimensional diagrams. IKEA does a pretty good job, after all.

As if the assignment wasn’t difficult enough to begin with, Dr. Do presented us with an additional challenge: could we show someone how to replicate the origami pattern without using any words. I tried, failed miserably, and then compromised by using as few words as I possibly could. Looking back at the finish product, I observed that some of the words were probably not that important after all. I considered erasing them, but then I thought: why shouldn’t the diagram include words? It is an interesting to challenge to convey a message or instruction without using words. I think it’s interesting, however, to note that in some situations, pictures can be more powerful than words, such as the famous photograph in Tiananmen Square. But words can be even more powerful when the message being conveyed is less tangible. That’s why movies remakes can never capture the thoughts or emotions of a character transmitted so effortlessly in the book.

Origami Process