Get into the fold Rigid bag could speed up automated packing tasks

摘要

Engineers from Oxford University have used the principles of origami to create the first rigid, flat-folding shopping bag with a rectangular base. The project started off as a mathematical curiosity for Dr Zhong You, a lecturer at Oxford's Department of Engineering Science, but it may have important implications for the packaging industry. Many consumer products are packed in cartons made of rigid sheet materials that are less flexible than paper. Typically, these cartons are box shaped, made with both the top and bottom open to allow flat packing, with the base being assembled separately.