Rigid-Ruling Curved Folding Origami Implemented with Straight Inflated Air Pouches
摘要
Rigid-ruling curved folding is a curved folding origami where each surface ruling remains rigid. This origami type exhibits a one-degree-of-freedom (one-DOF) mechanism beneficial for deployable structures. However, implementing mechanisms with panels requires many hinges and increases product weight. We implement rigid-ruling curved origami by inflating a planar pattern of slender air pouches along the ruling direction. Our approach has the advantage of using lightweight materials (air) with a simplified manufacturing process that can be patterned in a flat state. We also explore the feasibility of using the buckling behavior of the structures for self-folding of the mechanism.