Kirigami in Free-Fall: A New Variety of Parachute

Overview

We are all familiar with the conventional parachute. However in recent years, a new variety of parachute — which draws elements from the Japanese art of kirigami, has been in development by scientists. This new variety of parachute involves the payload being directly connected to a disc with slits around a radial axis, which manipulate airflow to slow the payload's descent. Rather than utilizing expensive laser-cutting equipment generally used by scientists, I crafted my own kirigami parachutes from materials found at home as a low-budget alternative. I dropped the parachutes to test the facets of fall time and accuracy, as well as comparing them to those of conventional parachutes. This project proves that kirigami paracahutes are affordable to create, and that they can have various real-world applications, potentially allowing for major advancements in aerospace.

Awards (1)

• Selected for CWSF 2026

Competition history

• CWSF 2026 Aerospace

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