Modern satellites rely on electromagnetic waveguides—hollow structures that carry high-power signals between components such as antennas and transmitters.
Today, these waveguides are usually made from rigid metal tubes with heavy flanges at each end.
While they work well on Earth, their weight and stiffness make them far from ideal for space missions, where every kilogram matters and compact packaging is crucial.
Inspired by the art of origami, researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new kind of waveguide that can fold up for launch and then expand once in space.
The work is led by aerospace engineer Xin Ning and his graduate students, who are exploring how carefully designed folding patterns can transform traditionally rigid space hardware into lightweight, deployable structures.
The idea began when Ning shared some origami-based structural designs with a colleague who specializes in electromagnetics.
That conversation sparked a question: could origami folding techniques be used to create deployable electromagnetic waveguides?
The challenge was that most waveguides have a rectangular shape, which is essential for their performance. Any foldable design would need to preserve that rectangular cross section once deployed.
Ning found inspiration in an everyday object: a brown paper shopping bag. The bag’s rectangular bottom resembles the flange of a waveguide, while the sides can collapse flat and expand again.
Building on this simple concept, the research team designed foldable tubes with rectangular openings at both ends, then moved on to more advanced bellows-like origami structures that could compress and expand smoothly.
To create early prototypes, the team printed folding patterns on large sheets of paper, laminated them with kitchen aluminum foil, and folded them by hand.
While this was a low-cost approach for testing ideas, Ning notes that future versions intended for space could be 3D printed from durable materials and coated with high-performance films and metal layers used in spacecraft.
The researchers didn’t design the waveguides at random. Instead, they carefully matched the dimensions of commercial waveguides so they could directly compare performance.
As they explored more complex designs, including waveguides that twist by 90 degrees during deployment, they relied on simulations and experiments to fine-tune distances, angles, and folding units.
Along the way, they discovered important mechanical limits. During testing, some designs suddenly became very stiff during deployment, risking structural failure. By analyzing the folding mechanics, the team learned how to limit the number of folds and overall length to avoid damage while keeping energy loss low.
The team now holds a pending patent for the technology. While their original focus was on spacecraft, these foldable waveguides could also find use in naval systems, communications infrastructure, and other applications where lightweight, compact microwave transmission is valuable.
