USF inventors have combined the structural integrity of a Shape Shifting Surface (SSS) with the water-tight seal of a flexible plastic sheet to create a surface which would be strong, flexible, and waterproof. Solid mechanisms theory was used to analyze the behavior of the part using the virtual work method. Together, these theories formed the basis of the optimization component of the invention which aimed to reduce stress in the flexure by improving its kinematics (i.e. making its motion more nearly straight-line in X-direction). This method also incorporates the origami membrane that makes it waterproof. This can be used to build size-changing rigid containers such as beverage containers, suit cases, vehicle and vessel bodies and building elements and has further applications in the maritime and medical industries.
Unit Cell in Equilibrium Position