Overview
- The paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society A defines a radially expansive, developable, flat-foldable pattern family with a geometry-based classification framework.
- Electronic supplements provide a catalogue of designs and a program that generates Yoshimura bloom crease patterns for analysis and fabrication.
- Paper and 3D-printed prototypes unfolded consistently in tests, addressing the risk that a single misfold can jeopardize a mission.
- Proposed uses include telescopes, solar arrays and antennas for spacecraft, as well as a demonstrated life-size deployable cardboard dome for terrestrial structures.
- Next steps target thickness accommodation, mechanical behavior under load, material scaling and integration toward flight-qualified and field-ready systems.