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Updated: Nov 29, 2025
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Origami Inspired Self-assembly of Patterned and Reconfigurable Particles
Published on: February 4, 2013
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In situ stiffness manipulation using elegant curved origami.
Zirui Zhai1, Yong Wang2, Ken Lin2
1School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Science Advances
|November 19, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed curved origami for in situ stiffness manipulation, enabling positive, zero, and negative stiffness. This lightweight design offers versatile applications in robotics, enhancing gripping and force control.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Robotics
- Mechanical Engineering
Background:
- Stiffness manipulation is crucial for optimizing motion, energy efficiency, and power delivery in advanced materials and structures.
- Achieving high-efficiency in situ stiffness control remains a significant challenge across various scientific disciplines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and demonstrate a novel method for in situ stiffness manipulation using curved origami patterns.
- To explore the potential of these patterns in achieving positive, zero, and negative stiffness states.
Main Methods:
- Designed curved origami patterns with predefined creases.
- Activated creases to achieve different stiffness states (positive, zero, negative).
- Integrated the origami into three robotic components to showcase functionality.
Main Results:
- Successfully demonstrated in situ stiffness switching in lightweight, space-saving curved origami.
- Showcased universal gripping, controlled force transmissibility, and multistage stiffness response under uniform load.
- Validated the effectiveness of the design in robotic applications.
Conclusions:
- Curved origami patterns offer an unexplored capability for in situ stiffness manipulation.
- This design opens new avenues for advanced robotics and lightweight, adaptable structures.
- The method provides a versatile platform for tunable mechanical properties in engineered systems.
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