Arts and Culture

Japanese paper art could drive the future of electronics 

A boy looks at a display of origami cranes in Valparaiso city, about 121 km (75 miles) northwest of Santiago August 6, 2009. The cranes were made by children from different schools as part of a campaign to promote world peace. REUTERS/Eliseo Fernandez (CHILE SOCIETY)

Origami is inspiring new electronics as it creates malleable circuit boards. Image: REUTERS/Eliseo Fernandez

Cory Nealon
Director of News Content, Buffalo

Kirigami, a variation of origami that involves cutting folded pieces of paper, has inspired researchers’ efforts to build malleable electronic circuits.

Their innovation—creating tiny sheets of strong yet bendable electronic materials made of select polymers and nanowires—could lead to improvements in smart clothing, electronic skin, and other applications that require pliable circuitry.

“Traditional electronics, like the printed circuit boards in tablets and other electronic devices, are rigid. That’s not a good match for the human body, which is full of bends and curves, especially when we are moving,” says lead author Shenqiang Ren, professor in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at the University at Buffalo.

“We examined the design principles behind kirigami, which is an efficient and beautiful art form, and applied them to our work to develop a much stronger and stretchable conductor of power,” says Ren, also a member of the university’s RENEW Institute, which is dedicated to solving complex environmental problems.

Have you read?

The study, which includes computational modeling contributions from Temple University researchers, employs nanoconfinement engineering and strain engineering (a strategy in semiconductor manufacturing used to boost device performance).

Without kirigami, researchers can deform the polymer—known as PthTFB—up to 6 percent from its original shape without changing its electronic conductivity. With kirigami, the polymer can stretch up to 2,000 percent. Also, the conductivity of PthTFB with kirigami increases by three orders of magnitude.

The advancement has many potential applications, including electronic skin (thin electronic material that mimics human skin, often used in robotic and health applications), bendable display screens, and electronic paper. But its most useful application could be in smart clothing, a market that analysts says could reach $4 billion by 2024.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Japan

Related topics:
Arts and CultureEmerging Technologies
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Japan is affecting economies, industries and global issues
World Economic Forum logo

Forum Stories newsletter

Bringing you weekly curated insights and analysis on the global issues that matter.

Subscribe today

Cultural leaders at Davos: We must preserve our humanity in the digital age

Stéphanie Thomson

January 23, 2025

4:14

Cristina Mittermeier has photographed our planet for 30 years. Here's what she has learned

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2025 World Economic Forum