Researchers at McGill University have created a new origami-inspired structure that can transform flat sheets into smooth, curved 3D shapes that switch from soft and flexible to stiff and load-bearing whenever needed.
The breakthrough could help develop future technologies such as emergency shelters, wearable medical devices, soft robots, smart fabrics, and even deployable space structures.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
Origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, has inspired many modern engineering designs.
Scientists have long been interested in using folding patterns to create structures that can collapse, unfold, and change shape. However, there has been a major challenge.
According to the researchers, foldable structures usually face a trade-off. If they have smooth, curved surfaces, they tend to be weak and floppy.
If they are strong and stiff, they often become rigid, jagged, or difficult to reshape.
The McGill team wanted to solve this problem by designing a new type of origami pattern that combines flexibility, smooth curves, and strength in a single structure.
Their design uses both curved and straight folding lines to turn flat sheets into continuous curved surfaces such as spheres, doughnut-like shapes called tori, and vase-like forms. Unlike traditional origami, which often creates faceted surfaces with many sharp edges, the new design produces smoother and more natural-looking shapes.
The researchers also added thin cable-like tendons inside the folded structures. By tightening or loosening these cables, they could control how stiff or soft the structure became without changing its overall shape.
When the tendons were loose, the structure behaved like a soft, flexible shell. When tightened, the same object became rigid enough to support weight and resist bending or twisting.
To create the designs, the researchers used advanced mathematics and computer optimization to calculate the exact folding patterns needed for each target shape. They then laser-cut paperboard sheets, folded them into the new patterns, and threaded cables through carefully selected points.
The team tested how the structures behaved under different levels of tension and confirmed that the shells could smoothly transition between flexible and strong states.
Computer simulations also showed that the folding motions worked reliably and that the designs could potentially be scaled up or repeated in larger systems.
Professor Damiano Pasini, one of the study’s authors, described the work as a new design approach for origami-based materials. He said the research challenges the idea that complex materials or external mechanical systems are always needed to create adjustable stiffness.
Instead, the study shows that carefully designed geometry alone can give materials remarkable new abilities.
The researchers believe the technology could eventually lead to lightweight structures that are easy to transport, unfold into large shapes, and then stiffen when strength is required.
