Last time we discussed the possible use of origami to model polyhedra using multiple units. Now we’re gonna take it one step forward by looking at the applications of origami within real-life medicine and surgery. As medicine deals with smaller and smaller parts of the human body, there is a need for tools and fixtures that are able to shrink down to microscopic sizes but still have the ability to do work. Folding patterns generated by the use of origami can fill this gap, allowing robots to do work on a scale much smaller than what would normally be possible. For example, by using origami to fold up electronic components it is now possible for a small robot to be ingested orally and used as an internal surgeon to complete basic medical tasks. This robot in question also has the ability to generate a magnetic field, letting it retrieve batteries and other debris from different parts of the body. Origami applications reach farther than the microscopic area, however. Any area where an object would need to change from a tiny size to a large size is a worthwhile application. This has proven to be very useful in the development of satellites that depend on huge solar panels to keep running. When launching a satellite, these solar panels need to fold up to a very small size. Using origami-derived collapsible fold patterns, solving this problem is simple.
I have actually heard of a lot of the origami applications in multiple areas. For example, there are mathematicians who devote their lives to working with origami fold patterns and studying their creation.