Origami
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At the same time it's been launching portable kayaks, Oru has been quietly working to apply its origami construction to other products. It's now introducing camp furniture that packs small and flat, quickly building into a multifunctional campsite.
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Back in 2020 we first heard about the SUS1, a prototype folded-steel electric scooter made by Swedish startup Stilride. Well, the company has now announced full specs and pricing on the production version of the vehicle, called the Stilride 1.
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Most three-dimensional glass objects are produced via either a molding, blowing or 3D-printing process. Chinese scientists, however, have devised a technique of folding such items into shape – and it has some key advantages over other methods.
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Six years ago we first heard about the MyCanoe, a two-person canoe that folds up like origami for transit and storage. Its makers are now back on Kickstarter with the smaller, lighter MyCanoe Solo 2.
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While there are now a number of packable computer mice, they're typically just smaller, harder-to-use versions of regular mice. The Air.0 is different – it's a full-size, origami-inspired Bluetooth mouse that folds flat for stowage.
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The Raba helmet from Nature Mobility looks to be an intriguing foldable helmet design. It relies on a series of pre-folds to pack flat and fit naturally in a backpack or handbag. It then dials into a three-dimensional helmet in a matter of seconds.
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When we last heard about Belgian startup Onak, it was debuting an improved version of its origami-style folding canoe. Now, Onak is back with a considerably smaller and less costly boat, called the Bato.
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Ever since Oru introduced its first origami-style folding kayak back in 2012, other brands have come out with boats that were claimed to be lighter and more compact. Oru has now addressed that competition, with its sub-$700 18-lb (8 kg) Lake kayak.
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Researchers in Germany have developed a new method to treat viral infections by making traps. The team folded DNA into nano-capsules with specialized binding points inside them, which could grab hold of viruses and render them inert.
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Ordinarily, if you're building something, you don't want the materials to buckle under pressure. In a new Harvard University-designed system, however, that buckling action allows flat-packed objects to be twisted into useful three-dimensional forms.
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Although many surgical procedures can now be performed laparoscopically (through a small incision in the skin), it's still difficult to seal up internal injuries in this manner. MIT is developing a way of doing so, though, that's inspired by origami.
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Electric scooters typically consist of a tubular metal frame, covered with plastic body panels. Swedish startup Stilride is taking what it claims is a more eco-friendly approach with a scooter made from folded sheets of stainless steel.
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