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Nature Study Unveils Kirigami Parachutes That Drop Payloads Straight Down

Tests in wind tunnels, labs, outdoor drone drops show the simple, laser-cut disks deliver small loads with precise, low-drift descents.

Kirigami-inspired parachute design
Image
Frederick Gosselin demonstrates a new type of parachute designed by a team at the École Polytechnique. The parachute was dropped into the atrium of the Polytechnique carrying eggs and on it's own.
Frédérick Gosselin, professor at Polytechnique Montréal’s demonstrates the elasticity of a parachute in Montreal.

Overview

  • Polytechnique Montréal researchers detailed the approach in Nature, using closed-loop kirigami cuts that reconfigure flat sheets into porous, inverted‑bell lattices in flight.
  • Simulations, wind‑tunnel measurements, laboratory drops and outdoor trials confirm stable, near‑vertical descent that avoids the lateral drift conventional parachutes rely on for stability.
  • A 0.5‑meter disk lowered a 1‑kilogram water bottle from 60 meters at roughly 14 m/s, compared with about 34 m/s without a parachute.
  • The seamless disks can be laser‑ or die‑cut from inexpensive plastic, paper or cardboard and attach to the payload via a single central line for quick deployment.
  • Researchers are tuning materials and cut patterns to program behaviors such as spiral or gliding descent, while noting human‑scale use is impractical due to lower drag per area.