Origami & Science

I don't go to any of the deeply technical presentations at our conferences, but I do try to see the keynotes, which are more general/visionary and, to me, way more interesting. One in particular was very inspiring: Robert Lang, a scientist who took up origami. He's made some incredibly beautiful pieces. His talk was very brief, but he pointed out how computers have transformed origami--there are programs that can create incredibly complex folding diagrams from stick-figure drawings--and how origami has transformed industrial and scientific design, for example the recent solar sail project, informing how to best fold airbags in cars, and allowing the launch of a telescope into space.

Other recent origami sightings, via BoingBoing: Paper Forest and an origami house.