From Flapping Birds to Space Telescopes:
The Modern Science of Origami
The
last decade of this past century has been witness to a revolution in the
development and application of mathematical techniques to origami, the centuries-old Japanese art of paper-folding. The
techniques used in mathematical origami design range from the abstruse to the
highly approachable. In this talk, I will describe how geometric concepts led
to the solution of a broad class of origami folding problems – specifically,
the problem of efficiently folding a shape with an arbitrary number and
arrangement of flaps, and along the way, enabled origami designs of
mind-blowing complexity and realism, some of which you’ll see, too. As often
happens in mathematics, theory originally developed for its own sake has led to
some surprising practical applications. The algorithms and theorems of origami
design have shed light on long-standing mathematical questions and have solved
practical engineering problems. I will discuss examples of how origami has
enabled safer airbags, Brobdingnagian space telescopes, and more.