An Approach to Designing

Origami-Adapted
Jessica Morgan
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Brigham Young University,
Aerospace Mechanisms
Provo, UT 84602
An approach to designing products based on adapting patterns and behaviors from
Spencer P. Magleby origami is presented. The approach is illustrated by showing its capability for developing
Department of Mechanical Engineering, mechanism applications for aerospace-based systems. Origami has several attributes
Brigham Young University, that are sought after in aerospace designs, such as deployability, stowability, and port-
Provo, UT 84602 ability. The origami-adapted design process seeks to facilitate designers in reliably
adapting origami into useful products that achieve desirable attributes. The origami-
adapted design process is illustrated and tested using three examples of preliminary
Larry L. Howell design: an origami bellows to protect the drill shafts of a Mars Rover, an expandable
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
habitat for the International Space Station, and a deployable parabolic antenna for space
Brigham Young University,
and earth communication systems. Each of these examples starts with an origami fold
Provo, UT 84602
pattern and modifies it to fulfill specific needs for an aerospace-based product.
[DOI: 10.1115/1.4032973]

Keywords: origami, design process, aerospace mechanisms

1 Introduction origami-based products, introduces examples of origami-based

design in the aerospace industry, and summarizes the preliminary
Origami folding methods have the ability to transform paper
origami-adapted design process that will be built upon in this
into unlimited numbers of shapes and patterns without any cuts
paper.
or adhesives. Derivatives of this art expand its boundaries by
exploring different materials, cuts, and joining. Engineers have
taken an interest in origami and developing it further for applica- 2.1 Classification Summary. An origami-based design is a
tions. Characteristics of origami that are of interest to engineers design that has a link to origami. Origami-based designs can be
include: (1) stowability, (2) portability, (3) deployability, (4) part arranged on a fidelity continuum that can be divided into three
number reduction, (5) manufacturability from a flat sheet of regions: origami-applied, origami-adapted, and origami-inspired.
material, (6) a single manufacturing technique (folding), (7) These regions define classifications of origami-based design that
reduced assembly, (8) ease of miniaturization, and (9) low mate- fall along the fidelity continuum ranging from direct to abstract
rial volume and mass [1]. applications of origami to the design. Figure 1 demonstrates how
These characteristics are of particular interest for aerospace each of these classification regions fall along the fidelity contin-
engineering applications where stowability, portability, and uum with supporting examples [6].
deployability often drive the design of a product. Origami has Origami-applied design implies a direct application of origami
inspired the design of several aerospace products, including a to design requiring minimal or no adaptation. The C-arm shroud,
deployable solar panel array [2,3], an eyeglass telescope [4], and a shown in Fig. 1, is an example of an origami-applied design utiliz-
starshade [5]. It is anticipated that many more aerospace mecha- ing a combination of v-fold and Miura-ori fold patterns created
nisms could be developed through the use of a design process that with Tyvek, a paperlike polymer [1]. The design of this mecha-
adapts origami characteristics for use in devices and products. nism involved identifying a fold pattern that met the requirements
The research presented in this paper has two main objectives: and applying it without any additional adjustments, which makes
to demonstrate that a design framework can be created to more it a direct application of origami to product design.
reliably use origami patterns and principles as the basis for aero- Next along the fidelity continuum is origami-adapted design.
space mechanisms and provide examples that illustrate an Origami-adapted design transforms an origami design away from
approach to designing origami-adapted products. A comprehen- the base origami model to accommodate design requirements
sive origami-adapted design process would be quite complex and such as rigid-foldability, thickness, and noncreaselike hinges. The
involve specialized tools. In this work, an approach to design is origami solar panel array, shown in Fig. 1, is adapted from the
presented that can serve as the basis for a more complete design flasher origami crease pattern. The crease pattern had to be altered
process. This paper will proceed as follows: background informa- to accommodate the thick, rigid solar panels [2]. Depending on
tion on origami-based products and the design process, and three the degree of adaptation, an origami-adapted design can fall
aerospace mechanism examples to illustrate the design approach. anywhere between origami-applied and origami-inspired classifi-
cations on the fidelity continuum.
Finally, origami-inspired design yields designs that are inspired
2 Background by origami but do not have a direct link to origami, utilizing only
aspects of origami such as folding or geometric shapes. Figure 1
This research focuses on an approach to origami-adapted design
shows the Tessel backpack as an example of origami-inspired
which is a specific branch of design based on patterns and behav-
design [1]. The Tessel backpack was inspired by origami but does
iors found in origami. This section presents a classification of
not have a direct connection to an origami pattern or manufactur-
ing technique.
Contributed by the Mechanisms and Robotics Committee of ASME for
publication in the JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL DESIGN. Manuscript received October 9,
Table 1 summaries the above discussion listing the definition
2015; final manuscript received February 11, 2016; published online March 25, and characteristics of each of these three classifications: origami-
2016. Assoc. Editor: David Myszka. applied, origami-adapted, and origami-inspired which all fall in

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 Fig. 1 A fidelity continuum ranging from a direct, idealized use of the mathematical model of origami to abstract applica-
tions of origami [1,2]

Table 1 Descriptions of the origami-based design classifications found in the fidelity continuum

Definition Characteristics

Applied A direct application of origami to design requiring minimal or no  Uses crease pattern with minimal or no alterations
adaptation  Uses paperlike material
Adapted An origami design transformed away from the original origami model to  Modifying the crease pattern
accommodate design requirements such as rigid-foldability, thickness, and  Applying a nonrigid foldable pattern to a rigid material
noncreaselike hinges  Accommodating for thickness
 Applying a flat foldable pattern in a nonflat foldable
application
 Allowing deformation and stretching in the panels and
creases
 Uses nonpaperlike materials
Inspired A design that does not have a direct link to origami; instead, it utilizes  Uses nonpaperlike materials
only aspects of origami such as folding or geometric shapes  Is static or does not preserve original motion
 Uses folding techniques but not based on a crease pattern
 Has origamilike geometry

the continuum of origami-based design. Origami-applied is a Foldable cylindrical origami patterns have been used for
direct application of origami whereas origami-inspired is an stowing long cylinders or booms used for structure deployment
abstract application. These design approaches require fewer and stabilization. An inflatable, rigidizable boom has been folded
origami modification tools. This research focuses on origami- using simple v-folds along its length to make it stowable and
adapted design which requires specialized steps and tools to mod- easy to inflate [10,12]. Other origami fold patterns such as the
ify origami for a given application. accordion (also known as the triangular fold pattern) or Kresling
pattern collapse a cylinder along its length and can fit inside an
2.2 Origami-Based Aerospace Mechanisms. Because annulus in both the deployed or stowed configuration. These fold
origami is a type of compliant mechanism, it has similar advan- patterns have been analyzed and recommended for space applica-
tages to complaint mechanisms in aerospace environments such tions [13–15]. The Kresling fold pattern has specifically been used
as reduced weight, reduced friction and wear, elimination of in the design of a telescope sunshield because it is capable of
lubricants, increased precision, and ease of miniaturization [7]. deploying in a confined cylindrical space [16].
Combined with the characteristics of origami, these advantages Other applications of origami to space mechanisms include
are of particular design interest for deployable and stowable designing lightweight honeycomb structures, deployable phased
mechanisms. Origami has influenced several areas of space array antennas, and telescopes [3,4,17]. These origami applica-
deployables including antennas, solar arrays, solar sails, and tions range from direct to abstract applications of origami. The
booms [2,8,9]. These products can fall anywhere along the Kresling fold pattern applied to the design of the telescope sun-
origami-adapted design range in the fidelity continuum. Past shield is a direct application or origami-applied design. Whereas
origami-applied and adapted aerospace mechanisms have origi- the James Webb Space Telescope, which is not based on a specific
nated from a select few origami patterns such as the flasher, origami fold pattern, is an abstract application or origami-inspired
folding cylinders, and basic v-folds (such as those used to make design.
paper fans) [10]. The previous work on applying origami to aerospace
The flasher fold pattern is often applied to spherical designs mechanisms provides a preliminary foundation for future possible
that fold up around a central hub and deploy out radially [11]. The influences of origami to space. The NASA technology roadmaps
flasher was used to design deployable spiral membranes for RF express a need for further development in deployable antennas,
and transmissive diffractive optics [3]. Adaptations to the flasher decelerators, and habitats, all of which have potential origami
pattern have made it applicable to thick, rigid designs such as the applications that could fulfill their needs [18]. Overall, research
origami solar panel array and the optical blanket of the starshade, on origami tools and design can enable new technologies for
a device to block out light pollution from other stars [2,5]. space exploration.

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 2.3 Design Process for Origami-Adapted Products. In an
effort to promote and facilitate origami-adapted design, a prelimi-
nary design process was developed for origami-adapted products
and presented in the previous work [6]. This design process was
developed based on general design process concepts and parallel
biomimetic design processes [19]. The objective of creating a
basic design process is to codify the complex, highly coupled
approach previously used to design origami-adapted products
[20]. The preliminary design process focuses on using origami
to fulfill design requirements, determining whether origami is a
viable solution, and creating an origami design framework from
which other subprocesses and considerations can be attached.
This framework provides an opportunity to address other design
issues like actuation. This paper seeks to show the value of the
preliminary design process for origami-adapted products through
Fig. 3 A diagram showing the general material design options
examples, similar to that done with biomimetic design [21]. and descriptions based on whether the product needs to be
A diagram of the process developed for origami-adapted design rigid and/or continuous
is shown in Fig. 2. The design process consists of four major
steps: define problem, origami solution, modify fold pattern, and
integrate. Each of these major steps has intermediate steps and that fulfill the design’s requirements. Some determining feature
tools for completing the origami-adapted design process. are rigid-foldability, flat-foldability, and/or kinetic. It is desirable
To define the problem is to define the constraints and require- that a searchable database be created to facilitate designers in cre-
ments of the product, evaluate the starting criteria, and select the ating origami-based designs without origami experience similar to
general material. Defining the product constraints and require- that done in biomimetics [22]. The folds of the seed origami
ments is a standard step for product development, but in this case pattern can be altered to eliminate any unwanted features, add any
includes factors that would suggest an origami solution. To assist missing features, and preserve the necessary features. The follow-
in determining whether origami is a good solution, the following ing design step is to create a mathematical model of the origami
starting criteria are evaluated: pattern to evaluate the design and ensure that it meets the product
requirements [23]. A mathematical model can include a kinematic
(1) The product utilizes sheetlike material. model, determining the mechanical advantage, or simple
(2) The product has two distinct configurations. calculations.
(3) The product disfavors cutting and gluing (monolithic). The next major step is to modify the fold pattern. In this step,
The starting criteria do not guarantee nor exclude origami as a the origami fold pattern is modified to meet the product needs
solution but are a good starting point for determining whether to such as actuation method, hinge type, rigidity, thickness, and stor-
proceed with the design process. The last step in defining the ing strain energy. Many of these design considerations are highly
problem is selecting the general material behavior option(s), coupled, such as accommodating for thickness and rigidity, thus
which are hybrid, rigid, multiple, and flexible. The main factors in requiring iteration to find the desired result. Researchers have
selecting a general material are whether the product needs to be developed numerous tools to help facilitate designs requiring
rigid and/or continuous. A table to help determine the general rigid-foldability [24,25], thickness [2,26], hinge selection [27],
material options with descriptions is shown in Fig. 3 (see Ref. [6] actuation methods [28–31], and manufacturing methods [1,17].
for additional explanation). The final step is to integrate all modifications and adaptations
The next step is to find an origami solution which includes find- to the design together, select a final material, and prototype the
ing the seed origami, abstracting the base design, and using a design. Prototyping often occurs throughout the design process
mathematical model as applicable. The seed origami is classified with increasing fidelity, with a higher fidelity model occurring at
as the original pattern from which the design is based. A seed ori- this point. This step overlaps with traditional product design but
gami fold pattern is chosen based on the pattern having features the end result is an origami-adapted product. This concludes the
origami-adapted design process, but the design can continue to
develop through testing, evaluation, iteration, and production.

3 Examples of Origami-Adapted Aerospace

Mechanisms
The examples for validating and testing the origami-adapted
design process are an origami bellows, an expandable habitat, and
a deployable parabolic antenna.

3.1 Example 1: Bellows. The motivation behind the origami

bellows is to create a lightweight, compact bellows to protect drill
shafts on future interplanetary rovers. Stainless steel metal bel-
lows are currently used on the Mars Rover. The metal bellows
have a compressibility of approximately 66%, which means that
the compressed height is 34% of the fully deployed height. Devel-
oping a design that increases the compressibility of the bellows
will reduce the required length of the drill shafts, and thus reduce
the overall weight of future Mars rovers.
3.1.1 Define Problem. The driving design factor is the com-
pressibility of the bellows, while preserving its original function
to create a barrier between the drill shafts and the Martian envi-
Fig. 2 Diagram of origami-adapted design process [6] ronment throughout the lifetime of the rover. The origami bellows

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 Some of these patterns can be eliminated from consideration due
to irregular-shaped cross sections, such as the star-shaped pattern.
The remaining fold options can be reduced to variations on three
different origami fold patterns: the accordion, Kresling, and
Tachi–Miura polyhedron.
The Tachi–Miura polyhedron is a rigid-foldable pattern, which
would reduce the wear on the bellows over time [32]. The down-
side of the Tachi–Miura polyhedron is that it does not maintain a
constant cross section. This would cause increased strain at the
clamped endpoints of the bellows. It would also be more difficult
to confine the bellows within the annulus constraints of the
bellows. In this example, it is advantageous to proceed to the next
step in the design process, creating a mathematical model, to
assist in selecting the seed origami. Mathematical models of the
accordion and Kresling patterns facilitated in quantitatively com-
paring the two fold patterns [33]. The mathematical models com-
prised of calculations of the stowed and deployed height of the
Fig. 4 Various origami models that can be applied to a bellows
bellows dependent on the design variables such as number of
sides, layers, and angle of folds. Figure 5 shows a side-by-side
must endure sand storms, thermal cycling, low vacuum, and high comparison of the accordion and Kresling fold patterns, their side
UV environment. The bellows must also endure 10,000 cycles in views, and cross section, with the Kresling on the left and accor-
fatigue without developing any tears or holes. The final constraint dion on the right. Both the Kresling and accordion bellows shown
is that the bellows must fit in a set annulus in the limited space have the same stowed height and are designed to fit in the annulus
around the drill shaft. constraints. These fold patterns are optimized to maximize com-
Evaluating the starting criteria verifies that the bellows is suita- pressibility without overstraining the bellows. Overstraining the
ble for origami-adapted design: the bellows will utilize sheet like bellows leads to buckling and deformation that reduce the lifetime
material, has two distinct configurations (deployed and com- of the bellows. It was found that under these constraints, the Kres-
pressed), and the design disfavors cutting and gluing in order to ling pattern has a higher compressibility than the accordion pat-
create an impermeable bellows. tern at 95.5% compared to 94%, respectively.
The general material can be determined using the requirements The Kresling fold pattern was selected as the seed origami for
of the bellows. The overall purpose of the bellows is to create a the bellows design. In this example, a base design does not need
barrier between the drill’s shafts and the destructive Martian dust to be abstracted from the seed origami because the Kresling fold
so it must be continuous. The material can either be flexible or pattern has the elements needed for the bellows design.
rigid resulting in either a flexible, multiple, or hybrid material. To
narrow the design space, a flexible material is chosen because it is 3.1.3 Modify Fold Pattern. In this step, the fold pattern is
the simplest of the options and would result in the best compres- modified according to the design requirements. In the general
sion and would require the least modification to the origami material selection, it was determined that a continuous, flexible
pattern. material would be well suited for this design. Such materials that
are able to withstand the harsh Martian environment are Mylar
3.1.2 Origami Solution. Options for the seed origami are and Kapton which have paperlike properties and thickness, thus
those that could function as a bellows based on their basic motions requiring no modification to the fold pattern to meet the product
or shapes. Various possible fold patterns are shown in Fig. 4. requirements.

Fig. 5 (a) The Kresling and accordion fold patterns shown (b) folded to fit the dimension restrictions of the drill shafts of
the Mars rover. Both fold patterns have the same compressed height and are optimized to maximize the deployed height and
compressibility. The Kresling fold pattern has a higher compressibility.

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 Fig. 6 The Kresling fold pattern folded in Mylar, Tyvek, Kapton, and UHMWPE. These materi-
als are possible candidates for the final material and were subjected to testing for final
selection.

3.1.4 Integrate. The final step is to integrate the Kresling fold and that a membrane would be added for higher fidelity
pattern with possible materials. This completes the first iteration prototypes.
in origami-adapted design process. To select the final material, the
bellows were subjected to testing to measure the fatigue life and 3.2.2 Origami Solution. Origami has been used previously for
environmental endurance. Figure 6 shows the Kresling fold pat- earth-based habitat designs including homeless shelters, disaster
tern folded in four possible materials: Mylar, Tyvek, Kapton, and shelters, and camping [34–36]. These are meant to deploy on the
UHMWPE ready for testing. The bellows were cycled over their ground so one side is a flat surface and they are not radially
entire stroke length in a custom-designed fatigue tester consisting symmetric. For a space habitat, a radially symmetric design is
of a crank–slider mechanism attached to a motor. All four materi- more reasonable to effectively use space during transport and
als endured 10,000þ cycles in fatigue without developing any gravity does not dictate a ground side of the habitat [37].
holes or tears. The next iteration of testing will determine whether The possible origami solutions for an origami habitat are simi-
the origami bellows folded in these materials can endure the Mar- lar to those for the origami bellows. As with the bellows, the
tian environment without developing any holes or tears. To this accordion, Kresling, and Tachi–Miura polyhedron fold patterns
point, the origami bellows proves to be a viable solution having were considered for the seed origami for the expandable habitat.
endured 10,000þ cycles in fatigue and having a compressibility All of these fold patterns are able to enclose a volume, have sim-
of over 90%, meeting the design criteria for the Mars Rover and ple deployment kinematics, and are expandable.
outperforming the 66% compressibility of the metal bellows. The Tachi–Miura polyhedron is an attractive solution because
it is a rigid-foldable pattern. The challenge of the Tachi–Miura
polyhedron fold pattern is the change in cross-sectional area
3.2 Example 2: Habitat. The second example is an expanda- during deployment, which goes from nearly flat to a polygon.
ble habitat for the International Space Station. Currently, the mod- Figure 7 shows (a) the fold pattern and (b) the deployment
ules on the International Space Station are static and are shipped sequence of the Tachi–Miura polyhedron. The Tachi–Miura poly-
into space in their current configurations. Bigelow Aerospace is hedron fold pattern would require a complex solution to enclose
the first company to design and build an expandable module, the end caps with a varying cross section.
which utilizes sliding wedges to expand. Another option would be The accordion fold pattern is chosen over the Kresling fold pat-
to use origami to design an expandable habitat module that could tern as the seed origami for its simplicity in creating a thick-wall
collapse small enough to fit inside a rocket for transport to the design. The accordion fold pattern can have any even number of
International Space Station. Once attached to the station, it can sides with a minimum of four sides. The four-sided accordion fold
expand and increase the amount of usable volume. pattern is selected for its efficient use of an enclosed volume.
The next step is to abstract the base design from the
accordion fold pattern to accommodate the needs of this applica-
3.2.1 Define Problem. The general requirements for an ori- tion. Figure 8(a) shows the accordion fold pattern and a model in
gami habitat are that it be airtight and have thick walls capable its deployed state. Adding fold lines along the vertices of the fold
of protecting astronauts from radiation and flying debris. This pattern as shown in Fig. 8(b) increases the expansion of the ori-
example focuses on creating an initial proof-of-concept prototype gami model. Figure 8 shows a side-by-side comparison of the
of a thick, rigid, expandable habitat. In the future, higher deployed configurations of the two models, confirming that the
fidelity proof-of-concept prototypes could include additional additional creases increase expansion. The method of including
requirements. additional fold lines is mentioned in the previous work and can be
Comparing the habitat to the starting criteria for origami- applied to other designs [2,6].
adapted design, the origami habitat uses sheet like material for Mathematical calculations can be done to evaluate the accor-
the panels and it has two distinct configurations: stowed and dion fold pattern for this application. The deployed and stowed
deployed. For the last criteria, a monolithic design would be pref- volumes are of interest in this application and can be calculated as
erable for manufacturing but may not be possible for such a com- functions of the wall panel dimensions. The deployed versus
plex structure. The origami habitat meets two of the three starting stowed volume ratio is improved by decreasing wall thickness,
criteria so it may not be suitable for an origami-applied design but increasing the length of the panels in each layer, and increasing
implies it may be suited for an origami-adapted or origami- the number of layers. These concepts can be quantified mathe-
inspired design. matically or visually observed.
As for the general material selection, based on the require-
ments, the design option is a hybrid material. The habitat needs to 3.2.3 Modify Fold Pattern. The next step is to modify the fold
be airtight and rigid. The initial proof-of-concept prototypes in pattern to accommodate the requirements of the habitat. The two
this paper are shown using a rigid material without a membrane, main requirements of the habitat are that it must be rigid and thick

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 Fig. 7 The (a) fold pattern and (b) deployment sequence of the Tachi–Miura polyhedron

Fig. 8 The four-sided accordion fold pattern (a) without modification and (b) modified with additional creases to improve its
deployment

to provide protection. Therefore, the fold pattern must be modified 3.2.4 Integrate. The final step is to integrate the modified fold
to accommodate rigid-foldability and thickness. pattern with the methods for accommodating thickness and to cre-
ate a prototype. The proof-of-concept prototype is made using a
[Link] Rigid-foldability. Although the accordion fold pattern thick, rigid material (Gatorfoam board), and a membrane layer
is not rigid-foldable, a rigid accordion prototype is able to move can be added in higher fidelity prototypes. Figure 9 shows the
through its full range of motion from its stowed to deployed state resulting prototype in both its stowed and expanded configura-
[38]. All of the deformation that occurs in the panels of nonrigid tions. This prototype has three repeating layers of the accordion
models is transferred into small motions at the hinges of this rigid pattern. This prototype has an 85% increase in length and volume
prototype. As a result, no modifications to the fold pattern are between the stowed and expanded configurations. Mathematical
needed to account for rigid-foldability. calculations of the deployed versus stowed volume show that
[Link] Thickness. A preliminary prototype of the accordion increasing the number of layers would further improve the volume
fold pattern was made using thick, rigid panels. This prototype percent increase. Higher fidelity prototypes may need to include
showed gaps in the stowed configuration between panels. This can additional modifications to the fold pattern such as different hinge
be fixed using one of the methods for accommodating for thick- types and include an actuation method.
ness. Some of these methods are the tapered panel method [39], Overall, this shows that origami is a possible solution for an
axis shift method [39], membrane folds method [2], the offset expandable International Space Station habitat module.
panel method [26], and thick panel method [40]. The appropriate-
ness of a given method depends on the application. In the case of
the habitat, both the offset panel method and the tapered panel 3.3 Example 3: Deployable Parabolic Antenna. The last
methods are applied. The methods are used because both are able example is a deployable positive Gaussian curvature parabolic
to preserve the kinematics of the original origami model. This is antenna. Positive Gaussian curvatures are required for RF reflec-
especially important because it is a repeating pattern and any devi- tors and reflective optics making them difficult to transport due to
ation from the original kinematics would propagate through the their large curved shape. The larger the antenna, the more efficient
layers of the design. The offset panel method is used to close the it is at transmitting and receiving a signal for a given bandwidth.
gaps in the stowed configuration. The tapered panel method was Large deployable parabolic antennas are a design challenge for
used to attach rigid end caps to the accordion fold pattern. space and earth communication systems. NASA has stated that

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 Fig. 9 A prototype of the habitat using the modified accordion fold pattern in thick, rigid material in both its stowed and
deployed states

Fig. 10 The flasher fold pattern modified to create curvature. (a) To add curvature, one wedge
of the flasher fold pattern is removed and the two adjacent wedges are attached. (b) Prototype
of the 6n 2 1 antenna using the 6 deg flasher fold pattern minus one wedge.

there is a need to develop, design, and increase the technology A continuous antenna has fewer transmission losses than a non-
readiness level of deployable antennas [18]. Past solutions include continuous antenna. For now an interrupted, flexible material will
morphing shapes, umbrellalike folding, or large perimeter trusses be used and an additional continuous layer can be added in future
[3,41,42]. These solutions often require a space at least the length iterations to decrease transmission losses if necessary.
of the radius of the antenna or significant infrastructure. It is of
interest to explore possibly more compact solutions using
origami. 3.3.2 Origami Solution. Because a parabolic surface is not a
developable surface, origami can only approximate these shapes.
It is known that origami can approximate hyperbolic paraboloids
3.3.1 Define Problem. The three main requirements for this and circular pleats [43]. An origami pattern is yet to be developed
antenna are that it has a positive Gaussian curvature, be deploy- that can approximate a positive Gaussian curvature although cer-
able, and be compact in its stowed position. Additionally, it is a tain tessellations, such as the waterbomb base tessellation, can dis-
design goal that this antenna can be manufactured from a single, cretely approximate this shape if it has supporting infrastructure.
flat monolithic sheet. The challenge of this design is that positive Such infrastructure is undesirable in this application. Instead, an
Gaussian curvatures are not developable surfaces, meaning that origami fold pattern will be selected that can be adjusted to have
they cannot be flattened into a plane without distortion, but a flat the desired curvature. Often, the flasher fold pattern is used for
sheet can be deployed to discretely approximate a parabolic radially deployable designs such as the origami solar panel array
surface. [2]. For that design, the flasher fold pattern was modified to
The deployable antenna passes the starting criteria evaluation accommodate both thickness and rigid-foldability. The modified
because it is to utilize sheet like material, it has two distinct con- flasher fold pattern will be used as the seed origami for the
figurations, and it disfavors cutting and gluing for a monolithic deployable antenna because it has already modified to accommo-
design. This does not guarantee that origami will accurately date material thickness [2].
approximate a positive Gaussian curvature but it is a good candi- The modified flasher pattern folds out into a flat plane. A base
date for origami-adapted design. design for the antenna with positive Gaussian curvature needs to
Also, the requirements suggest a general material that is flexible be abstracted from the flasher fold pattern. To add curvature, one
so that it can better approximate the needed curvature. The design wedge of the modified flasher pattern is removed and the two
can either use a continuous or interrupted material design. adjacent wedges are brought together and attached, as shown in

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 Fig. 11 The mixed tension resistant surrogate hinge to be Fig. 13 Three antennas with different curvature. From left to
applied to the deployable parabolic antenna design [44] right, they are the 6n 2 1, 7n 2 1, and 7n 2 2 antenna. The first
number refers to the degree of the flasher fold pattern used and
the second value is the number of wedges removed to give
curvature.

Fig. 12 Deployable antenna adapted from the flasher fold pat-

tern in both its stowed and deployed states

Fig. 10(a). Figure 10(b) shows a prototype of the flasher fold pat-
tern with a removed wedge to give it curvature. This particular
prototype is created from the 6 deg flasher pattern with one
removed wedge which can be labeled as 6n  1 antenna. The cur-
vature can be adjusted by using a different degree flasher pattern
and removing one or multiple wedges. Fig. 14 Plot of the vertices of the 6n 2 1 antenna curved fitted
to a parabolic curve
For this example, a mathematical model would be advanta-
geous to predict the curvature of the antenna. A mathematical
model is forgone at this time because it is unknown how this prototype. For the parabolic antenna, the surrogate hinge design is
modified fold pattern with interact with a flexible material. integrated into the fold pattern and one panel is removed to create
Instead, the curvature will be analyzed using different methods curvature. A monolithic prototype is created using polypropylene
upon completion of the design. and a single glue seam. Figure 12 shows the prototype in both its
stowed and deployed configurations. This shows that an antenna
3.3.3 Modify Fold Pattern. The flasher fold pattern was modi- with positive Gaussian curvature can be approximated using
fied previously for rigid-foldability and to accommodate for the origami.
material thickness [2]. No additional modification will be needed Two additional prototypes were created to explore the curvature
for these two aspects of the design especially since the design is of the antenna. Figure 13 shows three antennas with different
using a nonrigid material. Modification is needed to create creases curvatures. The antenna on the left is the 6n  1 antenna described
or hinges in the material that can endure large deflections while in above during the design process. The other two antennas are cre-
its stowed state. ated using a 7 deg flasher fold pattern. The middle antenna has
Surrogate hinges are hinges that can be created in sheet material one wedge removed while the one on the right has two removed
by removing material to yield creaselike motion [27]. Surrogate wedges giving it a smaller radius of curvature. This shows that the
hinges make it possible to have a monolithic design without being curvature of the antenna can be modified and tuned by varying
limited to paperlike materials. There are various surrogate hinge parameters in the design process.
designs that are created by cutting and removing different parts of To evaluate the curvature of the antenna, the vertices of the
the material. Each of these surrogate hinges has different advan- panels were measured and a parabolic curve fit was made to fit the
tages and is selected depending on the application and design data. The vertices of the panels were measure using direct linear
requirements. transformation, which is an imaging method used in experimental
The mixed tension resistant surrogate hinge, as shown in fluids to determine the x, y, and z positions of a point on an object
Fig. 11, is selected for the design of the parabolic antenna. This in space. Figure 14 shows an example of the vertices of the 6n  1
hinge is selected because it can bend through large deflections antenna matched up to a curve fitted parabola. There is good
and can withstand loads in tension, shear, and torsion. It is also agreement between the parabolic curve and the antenna except at
simpler to integrate into the design because it is symmetric about the vertices closest to the center of the antenna. The results of the
the axis. The surrogate hinge can be applied to all the creases in curve fit are shown in Table 2 for each of the three antennas. The
the flasher design or only along the creases that experience the
smallest radius of curvature. For creases that have larger radiuses
of curvature and undergo less strain, a simple ligament can be Table 2 Curve fit data results for the deployable parabolic
used to attach the sections instead of a complex surrogate hinge. antennas
A design tradeoff is that surrogate hinges require more area of
Radius of curvature Focal length R2 value
the part but are able to go through larger deflections with less
stress, thus extending the life of the product. 6n  1 31.6 7.9 0.958
7n  1 39.2 9.8 0.989
3.3.4 Integrate. The final step in the origami-adapted design 7n  2 12.7 3.2 0.989
process is to integrate the parts of the design and create a

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 table shows the radius of curvature, focal length, and R2 value for Thickness in Origami-Based Deployable Arrays,” ASME J. Mech. Des.,
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