Researchers used kirigami, the art of Japanese paper cutting and folding, to develop ultrastrong, lightweight materials that have tunable mechanical properties, like stiffness and flexibility. These materials could be used in airplanes, automobiles, or spacecraft.
Cellular solids are materials composed of many cells that have been packed together, such as a honeycomb. The shape of those cells largely determines the material's mechanical properties, including its stiffness or strength. Bones, for instance, are filled with a natural material that enables them to be lightweight, but stiff and strong.
The researchers developed a modular construction process in which many smaller components are formed, folded, and assembled into 3D shapes. Using this method, they fabricated ultralight and ultrastrong structures and robots that, under a specified load, can morph and hold their shape. The MIT researchers overcame these manufacturing challenges using kirigami, a technique for making 3D shapes by folding and cutting paper that traces its history to Japanese artists in the 7th century.
Because the flexibility of the structure can be controlled, these corrugations could be used in robots or other dynamic applications with parts that move, twist, and bend.
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