Important Innovations Collection

Origami Folding Canoe Source:  My Canoe POP Summer Water Sports Innovation My Canoe POP is a foldable, floating piece of innovation that you can paddle down a stream this summer.  It's an Origami folding canoe that goes down  to a small enough size to fit into a suitcase.  In less than five minutes, it can be assembled into a 14.5 foot canoe.  It's an award winning invention and it is safety certified. Two Seater that Patented The canoe is patented, safety certified and lightweight. It's designed for two people on board.   If you want to adventure into rough water or go fishing, a stabilizer kit is available.  There is enough storage space onboard for camping gear and a cooler. The product is currently priced at $850 and is available for pre-order on Kickstarter.  It's the invention of MYCANOE which specializes in origami folding canoes and kayaks.

Designed to Soften Impact of Landings Source:  University of Washington Origami Inspired Metamaterial This is unique innovation developed by a team at the University of Washington.  They've created origami-inspired structures made from metamaterials.  They specifically designed it to soften spacecraft landings and enable their reuse.  The metamaterial structures that absorb and soften impact by their "folding creases" could also be used on cars to potentially save lives in accidents. Unit Cells The structure is made of unit cells that are repeated in a specific pattern.  The cells flex to absorb impact and then return to their original shape, softening the blow.  The team has tested a prototype design with twenty cells.  The first few unit cells absorbed the entire impact.  They continue to develop their unique technological innovation.  Their results were just published in the journal Science Advances.