Flower-shaped origami opens up new prospects for spacecraft

A team of engineers at Brigham Young University (BYU), Utah, USA, has just announced a breakthrough in space structure design: origami “bloom patterns” that can fold and unfold smoothly like blooming flower petals. These designs promise to revolutionize the way devices such as telescopes and solar panels are deployed in space.

Space telescopes typically use flat mirrors due to deployment limitations. But bloom patterns can create curved mirrors similar to those used by ground-based telescopes, resulting in more accurate images.

Origami – the traditional Japanese art of paper folding – has long inspired engineers to create structures that can be folded and expanded. However, many current origami designs are complex and error-prone. One wrong fold can cause the entire system to fail.

Professor Larry Howell’s team has developed a new family of patterns – “bloom patterns” – that can unfold in a single motion, forming a three-dimensional curved shape resembling a flower bowl. The center of the pattern is a polygon, surrounded by symmetrical folds, allowing the structure to unfold smoothly from a thin flat disk into a larger shape.

According to Michael Bartlett of Virginia Tech, the one-step deployment reduces risk: “ In space, everything has to be perfect. If there is one weak point, the whole system can fail. Bloom patterns eliminate that complex sequence of steps.”

Additionally, the curved shape of these samples could be used to create reflectors similar to those used in ground-based telescopes – which provide more precise images than the flat mirrors typically used in space.

Having a mathematical model for bloom patterns would help designers better predict how an idea would perform, says Jamie Paik from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL): “You can know in advance whether an invention is viable, or whether you should go in another direction.”

The combination of traditional art and modern technology is opening up new directions for the aerospace industry. With its simple construction, beautiful shape and high reliability, origami flower patterns could become the foundation for the next generation of spacecraft.

One of the most notable applications of origami in space engineering is the design of the primary mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA applied the principle of paper folding to create a system of mirrors that can fold up to fit inside the rocket compartment. Once in orbit, these mirrors fully unfold, creating a giant reflective structure that allows the spacecraft to observe the universe deeper than ever before.

Beyond telescopes, engineers have also used origami to develop solar panels that can fold up like a fan. This design saves space during launch, while allowing for rapid deployment and maximum expansion during space operations. This allows spacecraft to harvest more energy without increasing their initial size.

In addition to large structures, origami has applications in space biomedicine. Some research has developed microscopic robots that can fold up like pills and unfold inside the body. In zero-gravity environments, these robots could be remotely controlled to deliver precise drugs or perform delicate medical procedures without surgery.

Applications of origami have made important advances in space science .

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/mau-origami-hinh-hoa-mo-ra-trien-vong-moi-cho-tau-vu-tru-ar960708.html