It’s not hard to see the influence of origami principles in the foldable space antenna/telescope arrays emerging from BYU’s Compliant Mechanisms Research laboratory.
The design concepts help address the opposing realities of space-based devices in which limited cargo space and weight considerations favor compactness on the launch end, while instruments like antennas and space telescopes require large surface areas to perform their jobs after extraterrestrial deployment.
And that’s why concepts embodied in ancient paper folding techniques — Japanese origami can be traced back to the 16th century — have been studied and adapted in research happening around the world including at BYU where researchers have been in the forefront of gathering insights from the craft for over a decade.
A team led by professors Larry Howell and Spencer Magleby at BYU’s Compliant Mechanisms lab recently completed a five-year project, in collaboration with Florida International University, aiming to design a foldable space antenna for the U.S. Air Force. It also has an ongoing NASA-funded project that will employ a similar design intended for a space-based telescope.
Researchers say the prototypes are inspired by two origami designs that were adapted to meet their engineering needs of compact design, automatic deployment and long-term stability. The team first experimented with origami designs on thin paper and then adapted them to thicker materials with adjustments for increased stability.
In a Deseret News interview, Magleby noted that the outcomes from the recent research were built on years of work and past projects informed by origami designs.
“In a research lab like ours, these things come from previous work,” Magleby said. “All of the items you’ve seen in the video were adapted from origami patterns or principles.”
Magleby said the latest round of research was aiming for compactable designs that could self-deploy into flat, stable and circular arrays in the harsh and zero-gravity conditions of outer space.

While paper origami templates provided insight on the necessary geometry of the final designs, Magleby said the ideas had to be adapted for thicker materials and researchers also leaned on previous work by BYU post-doctoral candidate Hunter Pruett.
Pruett authored a 2023 paper focused on a novel, self-actuating magnetic hinge design that both powers the array’s deployment, after a wire holding the compacted form is cut remotely, and locks it into its final position after deployment.
“So it’s held in place, but it’s ready to go all the time,” Magleby said. “There’s no power required or anything; it’s all strained in there like a spring, ready to start the opening process.”

BYU student Katie Varela recently earned her masters degree but before that spent three years working on both the NASA and Air Force projects as a member of the Compliant Mechanisms research team.
Varela, who studied mechanical engineering as an undergrad, said she hadn’t explored the realm of compliant mechanisms — a discipline that explores mechanisms that gain at least some of their mobility from the deflection of flexible members rather than from movable joints only — until joining the team as a graduate student but has come to love the topic.
“It’s very satisfying to be a part of designing, building and experimenting with a physical prototype to see if it works or doesn’t,” Varela said. “I really enjoyed working with the compliant mechanisms research team and Dr. Magleby.”
Varela has long-term plans to pursue a doctoral degree in engineering but, for the moment, is working as a coach in BYU’s capstone program for undergraduate engineering students.
Varela, who is also a mother of three, said she gained invaluable, real-world experience working in the Compliant Mechanisms laboratory and found the environment very supportive for both her academic and personal pursuits.
“I love the people that I work with. I think that this lab is really good at being collaborative and supportive of ideas,” Varela said in a BYU press release. “There’s no shame in saying something that sounds silly. I also really love that there are so many women engineers . . . everyone is supportive of family and things like that. It’s a great environment to learn in and feel like I would be prepared to go work in the real world.”
