Related papers: Kirigami-inspired wind steering for natural ventil…
Self-folding origami, structures that are engineered flat to fold into targeted, three-dimensional shapes, have many potential engineering applications. Though significant effort in recent years has been devoted to designing fold patterns…
Inspired by the allure of additive fabrication, we pose the problem of origami design from a new perspective: how can we grow a folded surface in three dimensions from a seed so that it is guaranteed to be isometric to the plane? We solve…
This study examines the Braggs bandgap and its mechanical tuning in a stretch-buckled kirigami sheet with "zig-zag" distributed parallel cuts. When stretched beyond a critical threshold, the kirigami buckles out-of-plane and generates a 3D…
The principal aim of this Master's thesis is to propel the optimization of the membrane wing structure of the Northeastern Aerobat through origami techniques and enhancing its capacity for secure hovering within confined spaces.…
A preliminary numerical study on the aerodynamics of a kite wing for high altitude wind power generators is proposed. Tethered kites are a key element of an innovative wind energy technology, which aims to capture energy from the wind at…
Mechanical waves that travel without inertia are often encountered in nature -- e.g. motion of plants -- yet such waves remain rare in synthetic materials. Here, we discover the emergence of slow kinks in overdamped metamaterials and we…
Shape-morphing finds widespread utility, from the deployment of small stents and large solar sails to actuation and propulsion in soft robotics. Origami structures provide a template for shape-morphing, but rules for designing and folding…
Estimating the direction of ambient fluid flow is key for many flying or swimming animals and robots, but can only be accomplished through indirect measurements and active control. Recent work with tethered flying insects indicates that…
We combine large-scale atomistic modelling with continuum elastic theory to study the shapes of graphene sheets embedding nanoscale kirigami. Lattice segments are selectively removed from a flat graphene sheet and the structure is allowed…
We determine the smallest instantaneous increase in the strength of an opposing wind that is necessary to permanently reverse the forward displacement flow that is driven by a two-layer thermal stratification. With an interpretation in…
Understanding the thermal and flow fields associated with natural convection is of great importance in the design and manufacture of passive cooling systems, solar collectors, and ventilation systems. The aim of this study is to numerically…
The dramatic effect kirigami, such as hole cutting, has on the elastic properties of thin sheets invites a study of the mechanics of thin elastic frames under an external load. Such frames can be thought of as modular elements needed to…
Researchers have hypothesized that the post-stall lift benefit of bird's alular feathers, or alula, stems from the maintenance of an attached leading-edge vortex (LEV) over their thin-profiled, outer hand-wing. Here, we investigate the…
Natural ventilation can play an important role towards preventing the spread of airborne diseases in indoor environments. However, quantifying natural ventilation flow rates is a challenging task due to significant variability in the…
An efficient way to introduce elastic energy that can bias an origami structure toward desired shapes is to allow curved tiles between the creases. The bending of the tiles supplies the energy and the tiles themselves may have additional…
We present an approach to overcoming challenges in dynamical dexterity for robots through tunable origami structures. Our work leverages a one-parameter family of flat sheet crease patterns that folds into origami bellows, whose axial…
We present a simple, accessible method for autonomously transforming flat plastic sheets into intricate three-dimensional structures using only uniform heating and common tools such as household ovens and scissors. Our approach combines…
Thin elastic sheets bend easily and, if they are patterned with cuts, can deform in sophisticated ways. Here we show that carefully tuning the location and arrangement of cuts within thin sheets enables the design of mechanical actuators…
Deployable structures inspired by origami have provided lightweight, compact, and reconfigurable solutions for various robotic and architectural applications. However, creating an integrated structural system that can effectively balance…
In order to provide comfort in a low energy consumption building, it is preferable to use natural ventilation rather than HVAC systems. To achieve this, engineers need tools that predict the heat and mass transfers between the building's…