Origami
We all would at some point in our childhood (and in college) folded papers to make rocket and other things.But we do not know the name for that art(well some of you might know the name..)it's called Origami.using this art ,paper can be folded to create three-dimensional figures of objects, animals and abstract shapes.The Japanese verb oru (to fold) and the noun kami (paper) are combined to form the name 'Origami'.And the only equipment needed to learn and create things using this art is paper!.We could say that almost any paper can be enough, but it is strongly recommended that the paper chosen is thin, but strong and it must be able to hold the crease when creased(meaning it should retain the fold when you fold).Standard origami paper is usually cut into 15cm squares.The paper used for creating the origami structure can be a colored one(sometimes people use one sided or two sided color paper)
When and where did all this start? well that's one controversial question, since it is believed that the origin of origami began soon after Cai Lun of China invented paper ,also that when Buddhist monks introduced paper to Japan sometime in early 7th century, they gave the idea of paper folding along with it.yet other group of historians believe that origami is a Japanese invention. Regardless of origami’s origins, its practice was most fully developed in Japan. The origami art was so popular that some of the origami became sacred and used for rituals and offerings.It's unclear about the origin of the art, but it sure has changes the way people create crafts with paper- people were used to create crafts by cutting the paper into pieces or to desired shape, but never used a paper to create something without cutting it.There are also other forms of paper involved crafts like kirigami and modular origami, which we will talk about later in another article.
Have you seen a origami illustration? actually an origami instruction set?
The language of origami uses only uses a small number of different folds, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. The most well known form is probably the Japanese paper crane. You might have seen origami models representing still life, but there are also other models of origami .i.e. besides static models, origami can be used to create dynamic objects too-it covers moving objects.Some call it dynamic origami, yet some action origami.Action origami includes origami that flies, requires inflation to complete, or,when complete, needs the person to apply pressure or pull a certain part of the origami ,to move another flap or limb. But there is always indifference to innovation, still some group of historians and aesthetic followers of origami believe the action origami is not the part of traditional origami.There are many varieties of action origamis, that range from the ones that can shake their head, pretend to play music of flap wings or move legs or even jump!.we are always drawn to dynamic objects rather than static ones and hence action origami is more popular than static origami.But beginners of origami still start out with learning of static origami and then perfect their skills with dynamic or action origami.
Origami is not only an art that is used by those who wanted to develop a creative hobby.It's an art that has already proved it's worth in the field of sciens.It's used to study many natural phenomenons also the concept of origami is used for making some designs that enable large objects to be folded into smaller sizes for easier transpotation or for storing purposes.
There are numerous examples where origami is applied for the benefit of science, one such is a breakthrough in nano electronics, where some researchers have demonstrated a 3-D nanoscale capacitor, developed in collaboration with MIT Professor Yang Shao-Horn.It was presented at the 2005 electrochemical meeting. The current model has only one fold but the more folds that are added, the more energy it will be able to store. Extra layers also promote faster information flow, just as the human brain's many folds allow for quicker communication between brain regions.You may wonder why produce with only one fold and not many as claimed.Well if you knew the process of nanoscale manufacturing you'll not ponder about that since you will know that creating things at nano scale with correct dimension is itself a challenge, yet making folds in such a small scale is even more tedious!.
To fold a material, from it's original shape and size, to something smaller, much like an accordian folding, is a challenging task for scientists and designers.Especially for engineers working in space research, where large antennas have to be delivered through small payloads in a rocket.Also designers are turning to origami for the solution these days.It is said that designers are using principles of origami to fold a large antenna and fit it into a compact payload.Also using the origami principle ensures that the antenna, then can be accurately un-folded.In fact, there is a book named "Origami Astronomy: The Art and Science of a Giant Folding Space Telescope" by Robert Roy Britt.His a creative thinker, who can figure the best way to fold down a car's airbag.He is applying the origami principles, to find a way to make a large telescope and stuff it inside a rocket.Perhaps the most popular, is Miura-ori,this is a method that is used to fold satellite antennas, before they are launched into space.This method allows an antenna to be unfolded simply by pulling on opposite diagonal corners.The opposite action, pushing the opposite diagonals, will fold the antenna back again to a smaller size.
We have sent robots like phoenix and mars explorer to Mars, for exploring the planet.But time and again, the atmospheric conditions have proved to be a decisive factor for our exploration also the un-friendly environment of Mars, mostly filled with rocks, is hard to navigate.Hence scientist at NASA are trying to develop some kind of aerial vehicle, that could glide along the atmosphere of mars, making the exploration, more efficient and covering more distance.But space researchers have found out that the atmosphere of Mars is very lighter, in terms of density it is only about 1% thick,compared to our atmosphere.Hence a glider, if it has to glide in Mars' atmosphere, must have very long wings.Given the length of rigid winds, it's hard to fit such and vehicle into the rocket for deployment.Hence scientists are exploring ways to use origami, to make wings, that can be 'inflated' when needed.Hence it can occupy less space and weight, but inflate when needed to form a long wing.
There are not only applications in the field of science and space technology.Even in day to day lives, some origami ideas are being used- some aluminium cans have geometric groves or markings on them , that is meant to give the cans more strength, while being light in weight.Also, some plastic bottles have spiral shaped marking, that enable them to be crushed, evenly when they are recycled.Similarly, one application of origami allows maps to be folded to a very small size, but when needed, pulling opposite ends(simply, just like that!) will unfold the map easily.
The origami art has grown so much, and has survived in this modern day world,thanks to a Japanese origami master Akira Yoshizawa.He was the first one to develop anmd publish his own origami creations.He was also the first one to try to create a language for origami, so that others could also do what he can do with paper.His symbols and origami language are so famous and intutive, that they are still being used wold wide.Due to efforts of men like these, origami has survived and there are even Origami groups in USA and UK.
Like it on Facebook, Tweet it or share this article on other bookmarking websites.