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Lifelike metallic structures using origami and compliant mechanisms

by Vanshika Singh, Sudarsanam Babu, Michael M Kirka
Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Manufacturing Letters
Publication Date
Page Numbers
34 to 37
Volume
34

In nature, materials and designs are smart i.e., they achieve the desired shape or size to optimize different processes without needing external devices. However, in the design of mechanical metallic structures, gaining such behavior without using special materials or external sources is still a visionary thought. Here the concept of lifelike metallic structures is introduced. The vision is to produce designs where the metallic walls can behave like human muscles. To create such structures, origami-inspired designs in combination with compliant mechanisms are proposed. For fabricating such designs with desired mechanical properties, it is also proposed to leverage additive manufacturing techniques.