Trease researchers from brigham young university and origami expert robert lang have created working prototypes of the origami solar panels.
Byu solar panel origami.
This is a unique crossover of art and culture and.
2 million was awarded to byu s compliant mechanisms research group of which zirbel is a part by the national science foundation and the u s.
Origami is a source of inspiration for byu mechanical engineers who are working with the national science foundation nasa jpl and origami master robert lang.
Applying origami principles on rigid silicon solar panels a material considerably thicker than the paper used for the traditional japanese art the byu conceived solar array would unfold to nearly 10 times its stored size.
Solar power origami style nasa.
Air force to research engineering applications of origami.
For more information on the design of the solar panel see these publications.
Origami has been a hot topic in technology recently.
How origami is inspiring scientific creativity.
Applying origami principles on rigid silicon solar panels a material considerably thicker than the paper used for the traditional japanese art the byu conceived solar array would unfold to.
Lang robert j spencer magleby and larry howell.
Byu engineers hope to help back pain.
Zirbel shannon a et al.
Single degree of freedom rigidly foldable origami flashers.
Accommodating thickness in origami based deployable arrays journal of mechanical design 135 11 2013.
156 panels cover zirbel s solar array to which solar cells are affixed.
Highly compressible origami bellows.
Byu designed solar arrays inspired by origami.
Byu engineers have teamed up with a world renowned origami expert to solve one of space exploration s greatest and most ironic problems.
Amanda kae fronk ba 09.
Brian trease at nasa s jet propulsion laboratory has been thinking about how it could be used in spacecraft.