All folds Tessellation · Entry 17 of 18

Miura-ori

A zig-zag grid of alternating mountain and valley lines.

What it is

A repeating grid of zig-zag folds that opens and closes in one motion: pull two corners and the whole sheet unfolds.

History

Invented by Japanese astrophysicist Koryo Miura. It folded the solar array of Japan’s Space Flyer Unit satellite, launched in 1995, and is used for maps that open in one pull.

Pleat the paper into a zig-zag