Kirigami And Shape Shifting Materials.

 

Recently, people have applied the math behind Kirigami to shape shifting materials so that more can be done.  Kirigami is the Japanese art of paper folding and cutting to create cool three dimensional designs. Scientists have taken the concept of Kirigami and applied it to other areas such as shape shifting materials. 

 Now shape shifting materials are also known as smart materials or programmable materials. In other words, these materials can change their shape or properties as a direct response to external stimuli such as heat, electricity, light, or a mechanical force.The change these materials undergo is reversible and the transformations can be controlled so they can adapt to different forms or configurations.

When scientists combine Kirigami techniques with the shape shifting materials, so many possibilities open  for creating complex and adaptable shapes. With careful cutting and shaping of the shape shifting materials, it opens the way to designing objects that can change their shape, size, or functionality.  One use of Kirigami is to apply it to shape-memory polymers. These particular polymers are able to "remember" a specific shape and with an application of stimuli such as heat, are able to return to that shape. When Kirigami is combined with these shape-memory polymers, the result something that can undergo specific transformations.

On the other hand, kirigami can be used with meta materials which are engineered materials whose properties are not found in nature. certain structures are created.  These structures change their mechanical properties such as stiffness or flexibility by cutting or folding certain areas selectively. These are just two examples of how Kirigami is combined with shape shifting materials.

Now the question of how is this information used in real life.  It can be used in robotics, aerospace engineering, biomedical devices, flexible electronics, and other fields.  In robotics, this process creates a material that can be used to design adaptive and self reconfigurable robots who can change their shape so they can navigate in different environments. On the other hand, in the biomedical field, this technique can produce materials used in pacemakers that can adapt to the shape of the organs.

Combining Kirigami with shape shifting materials offer a future of new materials that can be used across a variety of multiple industries. This is a field that will continue developing due to its potential.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.