Reviewed by Lexie CornerSep 24 2024
According to a study published in PNAS, engineers at RMIT University created an innovative tubular structural system that can be packed flat for transport and expanded into strong building materials.
Dr. Jeff Lee with a flat-pack tube. Image Credit: Will Wright, RMIT
This innovation is enabled by a self-locking mechanism inspired by the paper folding technique known as "curved-crease origami," which uses curved crease lines. Lead researchers Dr. Jeff (Ting-Uei) Lee and Distinguished Professor Mike (Yi Min) Xie stated that the tube design was inspired by bamboo’s internal structures, which naturally reinforce materials.
This self-locking system is the result of an intelligent geometric design. Our invention is suitable for large-scale use a panel, weighing just 1.3 kg, made from multiple tubes can easily support a 75 kg person.
Dr. Jeff Ting-Uei Lee, School of Engineering, RMIT University
Flat-pack tubes are already extensively used in robotics, aerospace structures, biomedical devices, and civil construction, including pop-up buildings for disaster relief. This new system enables faster and easier assembly, allowing the tubes to automatically transform into a strong, self-locked state.
Our research not only opens up new possibilities for innovative and multifunctional structural designs, but it can also significantly improve existing deployable systems.
Mike Yi Min Xie, Distinguished Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University
Lee added, “When NASA deploys solar arrays, for example, the booms used are tubes that were packed flat before being unfurled in space. These tubes are hollow, though, so they could potentially deform under certain forces in space. With our new design, these booms could be a stronger structure.”
The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a distinguished journal. Additional contributors include Associate Professor Joseph Gattas from the University of Queensland, along with Drs. Hongjia Lu, Jiaming Ma, and Ngoc San Ha from RMIT's School of Engineering. Xie noted that their innovative algorithm adjusted tube orientations to precisely control the structure's response to forces.
With our origami-inspired innovation, flat-pack tubes are not only easy to transport, but they also become strong enough to withstand external forces when in use. The tube is also self-locking, meaning its strong shape is securely locked in place without the need for extra mechanisms or human intervention.
Mike Yi Min Xie, Distinguished Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University
Next Steps
The team plans to continue refining the design and exploring new possibilities for its development.
Lee said, “We aim to extend the self-locking feature to different tube shapes and test how the tubes perform under various forces, such as bending and twisting. We are also exploring new materials and manufacturing methods to create smaller, more precise tubes.”
They are also developing self-deploying tubes for a range of applications with minimal manual intervention.
“We plan to improve our smart algorithm to make the tubes even more adaptable and efficient for different real-world situations,” Xie said.