more modular origami

here is another post for those, who are looking for diagrams! on this italian website are many different dodecahedra... only sometimes, the diagrams are a little cryptic.

origami spaceplane

Together with researchers at the University of Tokyo, the Origami Airplane Association has developed this origami plane, that will find its way from space to earth.
As I am unable to read Japanese, i can only quote pinktentacle.com, who report:

The researchers are scheduled to begin testing the strength and heat resistance of an 8 centimeter (3.1 in) long prototype on January 17 in an ultra-high-speed wind tunnel at the University of Tokyo’s Okashiwa campus (Chiba prefecture). In the tests, the origami glider — which is shaped like the Space Shuttle and has been treated to withstand intense heat — will be subjected to wind speeds of Mach 7, or about 8,600 kilometers (5,300 miles) per hour.

A large spacecraft such as the Space Shuttle can reach speeds of up to Mach 20 (over 15,200 mph) when it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, and friction with the air heats the outer surface to extreme temperatures. The much lighter origami aircraft, which the researchers claim will come down more slowly, is not expected to burn up on re-entry.

No launch date has been set for the paper spaceplane, but Shinji Suzuki, an aerospace engineering professor at the University of Tokyo, is thinking ahead. “We hope the space station crew will write a message of peace on the plane before they launch it,” says Suzuki. “We don’t know where in the world the plane will land, but it would be nice to send a message to whoever finds it.” (end of quote)

thanks to christian from synccity.blogspot.com for finding this post!

what the...?

scripted into the paper by origami artist Robert J. Lang. For all of you who don't like figurative origami "cos it doesn't reeeeeally look like a bird" - meet this guy. He is very much into naturalism.
There is also a lot of interesting reading material on his website. I love the way he just publishes his patterns, knowing only people as clever as him will be able to make any sense of it. But there are also some less complex, geometric patterns that people with moderare amounts of patience can unserstand - and they look beautiful, look.
By the way - the crease pattern above represents a "flying walking stick" insect:

Bracelet

This bracelet has been made in bobbin-technique, but with gold wire, very clever...
There are some more interesting designs on the website from AUSTRIA!, some even slightly inspired by geometry... but the bracelet is the best.

Technorati

Technorati Profile

Modular Kirigami

As already mentioned, my new favourite George Hart has also "invented" some modular kirigami kusadamas. Unfortunately, he is secretive about instructions, but presumably the elements have to be cut extremely precise, probably by a laser cutter.
Explore!

George W. Hart - Sculptor

If this mysterious office looks appealing to you, you must meet George Hart, which is easy, since he has published "several hundred web pages" on his work ranging from sculpture to mathematics.
No need to say that he is also a master of modular origami and even modular kirigami (the art of cutting paper).
His work is on display at several museums in New York, and also a few universities, e.g. Princeton and Berkeley.
Visit his overview page to dive into all the details.