Engineers Create Self-Folding Origami Using Plastic and Light-Sensitive Ink

(Science Magazine via YouTube)

Between self-driving cars and self-lacing Nikes, humans barely have to do anything for themselves anymore.

Now, origami lovers don’t even need to fold their own paper cranes.

Engineers from North Carolina State University made self-folding origami by cleverly combining a heat-shrinking plastic and light-absorbing ink, which respond differently to different colors, according to a paper published in Sciences Advances.

Sheets of polystyrene, a common plastic used for cups and styrofoam containers, were covered with lines of the ink. As the plastic heats up and shrinks, it folds along the line. Scientists were able to control the sequence the sheets folded by flashing the colored lights in a specific order.

From thin 2D sheets of plastic blooms, step-by-step, complex 3D shapes like boxes, pyramids, and even helices unfolded. The study suggests this technique could be used for less-invasive medical devices, smart packaging, and satellites.

—RealClearLife