Modular fabrication and design of thick rigid-foldable origami metamaterials

作者：Sunao TOMITA, Hiroki Kobayashi, Shoko ARITA, Masato Tanaka, Atsushi Kawamoto, Tsuyoshi Nomura, Tomohiro Tachi · 发表于：arXiv (Cornell University) · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.48550/arxiv.2608.19763 · 研究领域：Advanced Materials and Mechanics、Topology Optimization in Engineering、Structural Analysis and Optimization

Origami metamaterials offer significant potential for stiff deployable structures However, fabricating load-bearing cellular structures from thick panels introduces geometric interference at non-manifold junctions. Conventional thick-panel fabrication often disrupt ideal kinematics, thereby compromising smooth motion and scalability. This study proposes a modular fabrication framework that preserves one-degree-of-freedom rigid-folding kinematics in thick and non-manifold origami metamaterials. By decomposing non-manifold junctions into a hierarchy of stacked, modular hinged panels, our approach successfully accommodates synchronized hinge motions using scissor-like linkages. Exploiting this representation, we implement a graph-based topology optimization framework that tailors macroscopic stiffness while preserving folding connectivity. We demonstrate this approach by fabricating optimized prototypes that deploy seamlessly with a one-degree-of-freedom motion. Furthermore, we demonstrate engineering scalability through the large-scale construction of extensive deployable systems assembled from modular panels, which exhibit high load-bearing capacity. These results pave the way for the practical fabrication of structural, large-scale deployable metamaterials.