TOKYO -- A parachute devised using techniques from Japan's traditional paper art "kirigami," which produces 3D designs though cutting and folding, could be utilized in humanitarian airdrops.

A research team from Canada and other nations has been focusing on the Japanese paper-cutting tradition, which can make a diverse range of three-dimensional models from a single sheet, and have successfully developed a highly functional parachute. Its advantage of being mass-produceable for a low cost makes it useful in times of conflict and disaster for distributing emergency supplies.

Conventional parachutes are not only complicated to design and assemble; they are also prone to catching the wind, which sometimes results in dropped items landing far from the planned destination. The team thought origami or kirigami-inspired designs could be used to eliminate such weaknesses, as the art forms have been used in the development of stretchable devices and everyday items.

Inspired by wind-dispersed seeds, the team devised the parachute's structure after running simulations and experimenting with a wind tunnel. After producing a parachute dozens of centimeters in diameter from a plastic called PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol), they fitted it to a water bottle, dropped it from a drone at a height of about 60 meters and successfully landed it in a predetermined target area.

The team's research showed that, rather than the material or angle immediately after release, the pattern of the kirigami was the key to dropping objects straight down.

One such parachute costs about CA$50 (around 5,300 yen) to produce, but the team has already completed another cheaper parachute using cardboard. The parachutes can be mass-produced using a commercially available press, convincing David Melancon, an assistant professor at Polytechnique Montreal, that the production cost can be reduced to less than a dollar.

The team says future applications may include designing a larger version needed for efficient humanitarian aid and deploying numerous weather sensors during typhoons. Polytechnique Montreal professor Frederick Gosselin said that in the field of materials, kirigami is a great source of inspiration.

The team's findings were published in the British scientific journal Nature on Oct. 1.

(Japanese original by Yasuyoshi Tanaka, Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)