Tag Archives: KATS

Buildable, bendable, and biological; a kirigami-based project at Cornell University

A May 18, 2013 news item on Azonano highlights a new project at Cornell University,

Cornell researchers Jenny Sabin, assistant professor of architecture, and Dan Luo, professor of biological and environmental engineering, are among the lead investigators on a new research project to produce “buildable, bendable and biological materials” for a wide range of applications.

The project is intended to bring new ideas, motifs, portability and design to the formation of intricate chemical, biological and architectural materials.

Based on Kirigami (from the Japanese word kiru, “to cut”), the project “offers a previously unattainable level of design, dynamics and deployability” to self-folding and unfolding materials from the molecular scale to the architectural level, according to the researchers.

The May 16, 2013 Cornell University news release by Daniel Aloi, which originated the news item, describes the project’s intent,

The project is intended to illuminate new principles of architecture, materials synthesis and biological structures, and advance several technologies – including meta-materials, sensors, stealth aircraft and adaptive and sustainable buildings. A complementary goal is to generate public interest through an enhanced impact on science, art and engineering.

“Like the opening and closing of flowers, satellites and even greeting cards, our research will offer a rich and diverse set of intricate surprises, problems and challenges for students at all levels, and broaden their interest and awareness of emerging science and engineering,” according to the project proposal, “Cutting and Pasting: Kirigami in Architecture, Technology and Science” (KATS).

The Emerging Frontiers in Research Innovation grant from the NSF is in the research category of Origami Design for Integration of Self-assembling Systems for Engineering Innovation.

I wish they had a few sample illustrations of how this project might look as a macroscale architectural (or other type of) project even it is a complete fantasy.