Origami-equivalent compliant mechanism

Abstract

Origami structures have gained tremendous attention due to their extreme kinematic performance. However, typical origami structures suffer from poor load-bearing capacity due to extreme slenderness of facets. In this letter, we introduce a technique to design an origami-equivalent compliant mechanism which preserves the origami kinetics and kinematics while offering higher load-bearing capacity compared to the original origami structure. In this technique, we offer an energy equivalence principle between the origami and the compliant mechanism. We validate the principle using experimental investigation for a square-twist origami pattern. This principle thus opens up a significant avenue for designing deployable and programmable structures.