Origami-Inspired Metamaterial Can Help Reduce Crash Damage

A new metamaterial is being created based on the idea of Japanese traditional art origami to endure extreme forces caused by impact. The result products are hoped to be used for applications in car crashes or collision-required activities.

Impact and crashes are something we are familiar with, and while they can cause unwanted damage to vehicles and surfaces, it can be reduced by using materials with great absorption ability.

Shock-absorbing materials are actually everywhere around us in the forms of phone cases, bags, shoe soles, etc. But the researchers are creating a more powerful material to use for protection against collisions.

In order to create such absorption ability, scientists at the University of Washington have adopted the idea inspired by the Japanese folding paper art to form a metamaterial which uses creases to absorb impact shock and in the meantime relax the stress on the system.

The absorption ability of this metamaterial is so impressive that according to Jinkyu Yang, a member of the team:

According to the article on Science Advance, the metamaterial is designed using origami's principle to create its own unit cell. When folded with certain patterns, the metamaterial can perform different stiffness to serve multiple applications, according to researcher Yasuhiro Miyazawa.

Unit cells are like building blocks, which are used to simulate any structure. With unique unit cells, we can create a metamaterial that has characteristics no natural substance can match.

Miyazawa said that their unit cell can absorb and reduce the pushing force it meets to soften it, hence reduce the impact's forces.

To simulate the metamaterial, researchers use laser-marked paper and fold it into a cylindrical-shaped structure then glue it to create a long-chained shape.

The paper is, of course, for simulation purpose only. As it is developed, the material will finally be made of composite. It can be designed differently for different purposes.

According to Yang, their material can be used for many applications including decreasing the damage in traffic accidents.