SERVICE
ORIKIN offers solutions to your folding problem. Whatever the application, we generate optimized fold patterns to solve your design task and support the manufacturing process to turn your idea into a foldable product.
We specialize in:
- Hard, rigid materials. We create mechanisms that can be realized with metal, wood, glass, carbon fibre, electronic components, etc.
- Simple actuation. Even a single motor suffices to achieve incredibly complex motion. If you want more motors, our algorithms are not limited. However, minimizing the number of motors brings many advantages.
- Concept generation. ORIKIN ideates concepts, builds working (scaled) prototypes, and makes drawings for production. We do not manufacture in-house.
- Applications from art to science. Whether you need a new art piece in your garden or a contribution to a Nature paper, we're hyped anyway!
TYPICAL WORK FLOW
1: You have a problem...
...and the solution might be folding? Great, you came to the right
address!
EXAMPLE: Imagine you want to send a solar panel into space but it just doesn't fit into the rocket...
2: Reformulate
At ORIKIN, problems are transformed into tasks. Based on your specifications, we define the origami design task by formulating the following 3 parts:
(1) An unfolded shape
(2) A folded shape
(3) A transition between (1) and (2)
EXAMPLE: The solar panel should collect as much solar energy as possible, so the unfolded shape is a maximally large and flat surface (1). Since the solar panel is transported within the rocket, the folded shape should fit into a cylindrical volume (2). Outer space is not very accessible, and for reliability you want to use only four motors (3). Hence, the task is to maximize the area of a flat surface that folds into a cylinder through the actuation of four motors.
Although engineering design tasks vary, the above formulation covers the majority of cases and offers a simple way for us to establish a common language. If you have a problem that you think doesn't fit the given formulation, even better, we love challenges!
3: Sit back, relax
Now, it's time for ORIKIN to do some work. Depending on the difficulty of the task, we rely on experience and generate patterns manually or set up everything in the computer and run our algorithms. What the algorithms do, you ask? They take (1) - (3) as input, generate hundreds of fold patterns, assign to each pattern an exponential number of motions, optimize each motion with respect to the design task, run intersection checks, and output feasible origami concepts.
EXAMPLE: Relaxing is always best with some music and elevated legs. Maybe you fall asleep while dreaming of your folding solar panel?
4: Receive and review
Concepts are best served in numbers. The origami search space is huge, and the ways to solve tasks are numerous. You might receive more than one suitable concept, giving you as a customer the opportunity to be part of the design process: which concepts meet your style, brand, expectations? Choose wisely.
EXAMPLE: ORIKIN sent you the following concepts, you choose the best one (e.g. C3).
5: Preparing for real life
After having chosen a concept that satisfies the design task, we need to prepare the concept for real life. Coming from the automated search for kinematic fold patterns, the selected concept is yet missing finite thickness, mass, etc. In Step 5, ORIKIN builds CAD models, 3D prints prototypes, introduces materials and forces, performs Finite Element analyses, and in general does some conventional engineering stuff to prepare the concept for manufacturing.
EXAMPLE: The chosen concept C3 is adapted for finite thickness.
6: Manufacturing
ORIKIN's specialty is the generation of folding concepts from ideation to working prototype. When it comes to manufacturing these concepts, we either rely on your manufacturing abilities or forward the drawings to partners.
EXAMPLE: Your company manufactures the solar panel and sends it to outer space (as visualized at the top of this page).
