SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft features a very ingenious trick: after being launched into space, it deploys huge solar panels that open up from the aircraft's body. These panels absorb the sun's rays supplying energy to the sensors, communication systems and heating and cooling systems of the spacecraft. To help you understand how it works, take a look at this video.
An ingenious system, I said. And it took a team of engineers to make it work: Brian Ignaut he was one of them. "I have been working on SpaceX's collapsible solar panels for six years," he writes, before revealing that he has a side hobby: designing and building foldable, virtually self-assembling origami furniture.
Self-assembling origami furniture
What appear to be plain oddly shaped wooden planks are unfolded to transform into folding furniture that sits neatly into place. And the user doesn't have to drive in a single nail. A movement of the hand and voila: lamps, tables, stools and so on come out. It's like bringing home a flat cabinet IKEA and mount it in four seconds with your finger. Do I get excited? TAC!
From Spacex to carpentry
Ignaut sniffed out the deal in 2018, leaving Musk's company to move from space to earth. Now he focuses on the design, construction and sale of this origami furniture. For now, its prices are a bit high, but Ignaut calls it a "temporary necessity".
Accessibility is the ultimate goal
Brian Ignaut
"I'm excited to do things that a wider audience can buy. Even though the prices are high today, I hope these more expensive series will be able to subsidize the development of cheaper iterations."
If you want more information and throw the screwdriver when you assemble a piece of furniture, here is Brian's company website, Degrees of Freedom.
