The research, which was supported by the
National Science Foundation and reported October 11th in the journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society A, involved building a computer model to simulate the interaction between the two facets of a folded sheet, including how easily and how far the folds would bend and how much the flat planes would deform during movement.
Once all sections were connected together and digitally represented a piece of origami, the model could simulate how the structure would behave based on what type of material - from soft paper to hard plastic or metal - would be used to create the object.
