Developable Mechanisms tagged posts

It took just over 10 years, but real science has finally caught up to the science fiction of Iron Man’s transforming exoskeleton suit. Engineers at Brigham Young University detail new technology that allows them to build complex mechanisms into the exterior of a structure without taking up any actual space below the surface.

This new class of mechanisms, called “developable mechanisms,” get their name from developable surfaces, or materials that can take on 3D shapes from flat conformations without tearing or stretching, like a sheet of paper or metal...