Origami‐Based Cellular Structures with In Situ Transition between Collapsible and Load‐Bearing Configurations

Periodic cellular structures are widely used in engineering applications due to their lightweight, space‐filling, and load‐supporting nature. However, the configuration of cellular structures is generally fixed after they are initially built, and it is extremely difficult to change their structural properties—particularly their load‐bearing capabilities—in a controllable fashion. Herein, it is shown that volumetric origami cells made of Tachi–Miura polyhedron (TMP) can exhibit in situ transition between flat‐foldable and load‐bearing states without modifying their predefined crease patterns or hitting the kinematically singular configuration. Theoretical analysis is conducted to study this mechanical bifurcation to establish the design principle, which is verified experimentally by fabricating self‐folding TMP prototypes made of paper sheets and heat‐shrinking films. The improvement of load‐carrying capabilities by 10² is demonstrated by switching the TMP from foldable to load‐bearing configurations. These programmable structures can provide practical solutions in various engineering applications, such as deployable space structures, portable architectures for disaster relief, reconfigurable packing materials, and medical devices such as stents.