Online Seminar - Dr. Suyi Li - This Friday
Dynamics under the fold ─ Using the origami principle
Friday, September 23, 2022 · 2:30 - 3:30 PM
Dynamics under the fold ─ Using the origami principle to architect meta-structures, soft robots, and mechano-intelligence
by
Dr. Suyi Li
Associate Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
Virginia Tech
Abstract:
Since its creation, origami has undergone explosive evolutions in its beauty and complexity, and it is now a popular subject of study among artists, mathematicians, educators, and engineers. The seemingly infinite possibilities of developing 3D geometries via cutting and folding have inspired many deployable structures and devices, shaping our modern life. However, origami’s potential extends beyond geometry, and there has been a paradigm shift from just using the kinematics of folding to harnessing its mechanics and dynamics. This talk will highlight our current efforts to accelerate this shift, focusing on how to exploit origami folding to generate unique dynamic and vibrational functionalities. For example, we can manipulate origami (or kirigami) to architect geometric periodicity, creating meta-structures with programmable elastic wave propagation bandgaps. We can exploit the multi-stability in origami to sequence robotic crawling locomotion gaits without any electronics. We can also harness the reservoir computing power hidden in origami’s nonlinear vibration to develop intelligence in the mechanical domain. There are still many untapped potentials from exploiting the origami dynamics and vibrations, ensuring vibrant research activities for years to come.
Bio:
Dr. Suyi Li is an associate professor in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 2014. After spending two additional years at Michigan as a postdoctoral fellow, he moved to Clemson University as an assistant professor and established a research program on origami-inspired meta-structures and robotics. He held that position until 2022. Dr. Li has secured close to two million dollars of research funding, including the prestigious NSF CAREER award. He is also the recipient of the ASME Freudenstein Young Investigator Award, ASME Gary Anderson Early Achievement Award, ASME C.D. Mote Jr. Early Career Award, and Clemson CECAS Junior Researcher of the Year Award. His research has generated close to 80 journal and conference publications.