Search for: All records

We investigate the controllability of an origami system composed of Miura-ori cells. A substantial volume of research on folding architecture, kinematic behavior, and actuation techniques of origami structures has been conducted. However, understanding their transient dynamics and constructing control models remains a formidable task, primarily due to their innate flexibility and compliance. In light of this challenge, we discretize the origami system into a network composed of interconnected particle masses alongside bar and hinge elements. This yields a state-space representation of the system's dynamics, enabling us to obtain the system's controllability attributes. Informed by this computational framework, we explore the controllability Gramian-based method for finding the most efficient crease line for Miura-ori cell deployment using an actuator. We demonstrate that the deployment efficiency guided by this theoretical method agrees with the empirical results obtained from the energy consumption to deploy the origami structure. This investigation paves the way toward designing and operating an efficient the complex actuation system for origami tessellations. 

Abstract Topological mechanical metamaterials have been widely explored for their boundary states, which can be robustly isolated or transported in a controlled manner. However, such systems often require pre-configured design or complex active actuation for wave manipulation. Here, we present the possibility of in-situ transfer of topological boundary modes by leveraging the reconfigurability intrinsic in twisted origami lattices. In particular, we employ a dimer Kresling origami system consisting of unit cells with opposite chirality, which couples longitudinal and rotational degrees of freedom in elastic waves. The quasi-static twist imposed on the lattice alters the strain landscape of the lattice, thus significantly affecting the wave dispersion relations and the topology of the underlying bands. This in turn facilitates an efficient topological state transfer from one edge to the other. This simple and practical approach to energy transfer in origami-inspired lattices can thus inspire a new class of efficient energy manipulation devices.