Based on three-dimensional materials created based on the art of kirigami, they can end up creating structures capable of transforming into multiple different shapes or architectures.
A team of researchers has been inspired in the metamorphosis and in the kirigami when creating a new three-dimensional material that could shape any type of element in the future if you know how to take advantage of it.
“With metamorphosis in nature, animals change their fundamental form. We have created a class of materials that can be used to create structures that change their fundamental architecture“, he points out Jie Yin, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University.
To do this, you also have to understand the concept of kirigami, the art of cut-out paper that differs from origami, which is that of folded paper.
With this, the metamorphosis system begins with a single 3D kirigami unit, and each unit can form multiple shapes on its own. These 3D kirigami units are also modular so can be connected to form increasingly complex structures.
Taking into account that individual units can form multiple shapes and can also be connected to other units in as many multiple ways, the system, in general, can end up forming a wide variety of architectures.
Once the units are connected to each other, they cannot be disconnected, however the larger structures that are created are capable of transforming into multiple and different architectures.
Unlike its first system, this new one does not allow a structure to be dismantled. However, it has a great advantage and it is that the finished structure is capable of transforming into different architectures.
In their tests, they showed that this new metamorphosis system was capable of creating many different structures that can end up bearing significant weight while maintaining their structural integrity.
“This new material and this new technique could be the basis for a new generation of building materials that could be used to create rapidly deployable structures. Think about the medical units that have had to be expanded on short notice during the pandemic, or the need for emergency housing shelter in the aftermath of a disaster.Jie Yin adds.
They consider that this metamorphosis system could create a variety of robotic devices capable of transforming to respond to all kinds of external stimuli.
Another use they could make of this system is to make a new line of toys that can help people explore some fundamental concepts related to both physics and engineering.