Knowing When to Fold - Engineers Use 'Nano-Origami' to Build Tiny Electronic Devices
Folding paper into shapes such as a crane or a butterfly is challenging enough
for most people. Now imagine trying to fold something that's about a hundred
times thinner than a human hair and then putting it to use as an electronic
device.
A team of researchers led by George Barbastathis, associate professor of mechanical
engineering, is developing the basic principles of "nano-origami,"
a new technique that allows engineers to fold nanoscale materials into simple
3-D structures. The tiny folded materials could be used as motors and capacitors,
potentially leading to better computer memory storage, faster microprocessors
and new nanophotonic devices.
In this video, flaps of a polymer sheet are folded into a corner of a cube.
An external magnetic field interacts with a current flowing through wires embedded
in the sheet, causing the sheets to fold up. Video / Nader Shaar.
Nano origami
Run time: 0.54 mins