Origami Engineering

Folding in space and medicine

An interactive lesson with 7 steps, about 6 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• The Miura fold collapses and deploys a sheet in one motion.
• Rigid-foldable patterns keep panels flat while creases bend.
• Origami ideas are used in spacecraft, stents and airbags.

Steps

1. The Miura fold
2. Watch it fold
3. Why fold for space?
4. Packing ratio
5. Folding inside the body
6. Packing a solar sail
7. Tilted panels