The science of origami

Most people think of origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, as good for little more than making toys and trinkets. Indeed, you might imagine that the closest it comes to practical utility is in the making of paper aero-planes – and even that is not very close. However, in the last few decades scientists and engineers have begun investigating the surprisingly rich mathematics underlying origami, and along the way have found a wide range of applications for the ancient art, from automotive engineering to medical devices and even spaceflight.