Rigidly Foldable Thick Origami Using Designed-Offset Linkages

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  • Author(s)
    Robert J. Lang, Nathan Brown, Brian Ignaut, Spencer Magleby, and Larry Howell
  • Abstract

    We present new families of thick origami mechanisms that achieve rigid foldability and parallel stacking of panels in the flat-folded state using linkages for some or all of the hinges between panels. A degree-four vertex results in a multi-loop eight-bar spatial mechanism that can be analyzed as separate linkages. The individual linkages are designed so that they introduce offsets perpendicular to the panels that are mutually compatible around each vertex. This family of mechanisms offers the unique combination of a planar unfolded state, parallel-stacked panels in the flat folded state, and kinematic single-degree-of-freedom motion from the flatunfolded to the flat-folded state.

  • Details

    This work, a collaboration with Degrees of Freedom LLC and Brigham Young University, describes a method of achieving flat-stackable thick origami mechanisms using carefully designed four-bar linkages.

    The paper is currently in review.

    File attachments include a Mathematica notebook containing analysis supporting the paper and generation of images within the paper, and some cut patterns for single-step laser-cutting of DOF joint mechanisms.

  • Downloads
    Designed-offset-4-bar-linkagesTessellatica-12.0.nb_.zip
    DOF-Joint.pdf
    DOF-Joint.dxf
    Big-Dof-Joint-Pattern.dxf
    Big-Dof-Joint-Pattern.pdf