Origami is known as an art form where many have created beautiful pieces depicting various things. However, is origami just an art? Can origami only be used to be placed in a glass casing on a shelf to be looked at by countless admirers? The answer is, of course, no. While simply folding a piece of paper cannot affect other fields, the concept of origami can and has been used in the engineering, architectural, and medical fields.
Perhaps the modern idea of space travel seemingly has no relationship with the traditional origami but this is exactly where some of the greatest usages of origami come into play. When rockets are launched from Earth into space, there are great limits to the space that these rockets can contain. In trying to solve this issue, engineers turned to origami to efficiently place necessary components into the confines a rocket. In 2014, Brian Trease and Shannon Zirbel worked with origamist Robert Lang and professor Larry Howel in designing a foldable solar array. It is capable of folding into a cylindrical shape that can easily fit into a rocket and then be easily deployed through the pulling of a single corner into a flat solar panel.
These images are images of prototype models of the solar array. The image on the left shows the expanded, unfolded solar array while the image on the right shows the same array that is almost completely folded in. As can be seen in the photos, this severely reduces the diameter of the solar array, allowing it to fit inside a rocket.
Another application of origami is in the architectural field. Through the interlacing of different folds, structures can be made to be stronger in a more efficient manner. Researchers from the University of Illinois, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Tokyo have created the 3D zipper tube. Through the zig-zagging pattern and interlocking of many tubes, a stable structure can be created. Due to its folds, this structure can be easily taken down to a compressed form for easy transportation and deployment. The design also allows for a variety of different structures. This can allow for quick emergency shelters in the case of natural disasters.
In addition to helping those in need through shelters, origami can also be directly used in the medical field. Researchers led by Professor Daniela Rus of MIT have developed a small origami "robot." This is "robot" is actually made from dried pig intestine in order to not damage the body and is folded in such a way that it can fit in an ice capsule the size of a normal pill capsule. This capsule can then be ingested, and after the capsule melts, the "robot" would unfold. Through a magnet attached onto the robot, doctors would be able to control its movement using a magnetic field outside of the body. The robot can then deliver medicine to specific parts of the body or remove harmful substances that a person accidentally ingested.
Here is a diagram depicting the robot and what it does.
These are just some examples of origami's use in the real world. I am sure that there is much more to be explored.