Welcome

Welcome to a resource site for scientific kirigami, published by a research group in the Department of Physics at UPenn.

Traditional kirigami is the art of cutting and sometimes folding paper. One familiar example is pop-up cards, but there are many others. We augment this approach by 'mending' the cuts after making them, rejoining a cut edge to a different cut edge, thus fundamentally changing the shape of the paper.

Paper is the simplest material to use to make models, but we study the process in its full generality. By understanding the geometry, the lattice structure, topology, curvatures, etc. we can apply these ideas from the micro- and nano- scale all the way up to the size of a building, using whatever material is most appropriate.

The tabs above link to our academic papers, cutting templates for the home scientist, and information about us. You can find a more in depth introduction to our kirigami at https://danielsussman.wordpress.com/research/kirigami/.