
Geometric Folding Algorithms: Linkages, Origami, Polyhedra - todsacerdoti
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-849-geometric-folding-algorithms-linkages-origami-polyhedra-fall-2012/
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kanobo
Cool links from syllabus:

Origami Simulator:
[http://www.tsg.ne.jp/TT/software/index.html](http://www.tsg.ne.jp/TT/software/index.html)

Treemaker:
[https://langorigami.com/article/treemaker/](https://langorigami.com/article/treemaker/)

~~~
dontchooseanick
You forgot
[http://apps.amandaghassaei.com/OrigamiSimulator/](http://apps.amandaghassaei.com/OrigamiSimulator/)
And maybe [https://rabbitear.org](https://rabbitear.org)

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YeGoblynQueenne
This intereste me because I've been looking at folding and unfolding _of
programs_ recently for some bit of fun work on the side of my PhD (or maybe
not so on the side). I was looking for easy examples of this thing online and
this is the closest I could find:

[https://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/projects/refactor-
fp/catalogue/Fol...](https://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/projects/refactor-
fp/catalogue/Folding.html)

    
    
      -- Folded program
      showAll = (concat . format) . map show
      table   = concat . format
    
      -- Unfolded program
      showAll = table . map show
      table   = concat . format
    

I've been wondering if there is maybe some kind of correspondence between
programming and geometry in this respect. In the context of programming
"folding/unfolding" is just an analogy and one has to stare at examples like
the one above for a bit to appreciate how apt it is, whereas it's much more
obvious to see when it comes to geometry. Also, the programming term signifies
replacement of a structure by another, whereas folding geometric objects is, I
think, not really a replacement. But, well, this thing is now stuck in my
mind.

~~~
ethanwillis
There is a lot of correspondence. I was recently working on making a
"geometry" based programming language. As I was working through it one of the
ideas I realized geometry was a really good fit for was a language focused on
pattern matching and data deduplication.

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FoldMorePaper
There is an origami-focused, peer-reviewed academic conference "OSME" and the
papers that have come out of it (released in books) are interesting reads.

The conference website is [http://osme.info/](http://osme.info/) (hasn't been
updated in a while; see Robert Lang's page for more info:
[https://langorigami.com/article/origami-
conferences/](https://langorigami.com/article/origami-conferences/))

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lukeplato
Anyone know if this field has gained any substantial traction since 2012 and
the collaborations with NASA? Looks really interesting, but seems more
recreational, though i could be wrong.

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emmanueloga_
He talks about applications in the first lecture:

* Robotics is a big one, folding robotic arms.

* Computer graphics. ... animate your characters ... skeletons as foldable objects

* Mechanics: A lot of the early folding work is in like 17, 1800s, and is motivated by building mechanical linkages to do useful things.

* Manufacturing: if you could get them to fold objects (ex: CPUs), then you could manufacture 3D nano-scale objects.

* Optics. A MIT group does some optical devices through folding

* Medical: folding a stent really small, do non-intrusive heart surgery. Drug delivery.

* Aero-astro. fold things within space shuttles

* Biology. Big one: protein folding

* Sculpture: origami.

* Interactive buildings' architecture: reconfigurable buildings. Hoberman is one example of somebody exploring this, getting the building to fold from one shape to another, or getting your shades to fold from one shape to another, all sorts of things.

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perl4ever
What about parachutes?

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emmanueloga_
Well he doesn't discuss parachutes... What would be an improvement in this
case? I guess one could came up with a smaller parachute if it was optimally
folded.

Psychologically I suspect I would feel safer with a regular size parachute vs
a super advanced, algorithmically folded origami-parachute :-p

~~~
perl4ever
I never got as far as folding my own parachute, but I know they have to be
folded _somehow_ , and if it doesn't unfold properly, you die (modulo the
reserve). So I'd speculate optimization could have a role in reliability. My
memory is hazy, but I may have been told that the method of folding also
affects how abruptly and with how much shock it opens.

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selimthegrim
See also:
[https://twitter.com/littmath/status/1291143344173846528](https://twitter.com/littmath/status/1291143344173846528)

[https://twitter.com/littmath/status/1291484760875966467](https://twitter.com/littmath/status/1291484760875966467)

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eschneider
You can't go wrong with any of Erik Demaine's classes.

~~~
frob
When I taught an algorithms course, Erik's 6.006 and 6.046 lectures were one
of my main sources for lesson plans and other inspiration.

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hansoolo
Isn't there a documentary about this guy? It looks so familiar.

~~~
AlanYx
You're probably thinking of the documentary Between the Folds.

He's appeared in a lot of places though. Really interesting guy: homeschooled
by his father in a van, finished his PhD before many people finish their
second year of undergrad, youngest ever professor hired at MIT. Tons of
mindblowing papers on computational origami.

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ThisIsMyPasswrd
I wish Erick made an edx course

