Origami patterns designed for thin pieces of paper can be extended to thicker materials as well.

Previous attempts to fold 3D materials required adding layers of material or changing their geometry. To avoid this, Zhong You at the University of Oxford, UK, and his colleagues developed a method of assembling thick materials so that the hinges where they meet move in a limited number of ways. The researchers showed how carefully choosing the placement of the hinges and creases allows the structures to move and fold (pictured) in identical ways to origami patterns that use 2D materials.

Credit: Science/AAAS

The method could eventually improve the construction of foldable structures such as solar panels or aircraft wings, the authors report.

Science 349, 396–400 (2015)