Kirigami meets parachute technology
Researchers at Polytechnique Montreal have fused the ancient Japanese art of kirigami with parachute design to create a low-cost concept that could power humanitarian airdrops and scientific missions. In a study published in Nature, Frédérick Gosselin and David Mélançon outline how a flat sheet, cut and folded in a kirigami pattern, can unfold into a functional parachute as it descends. Kirigami, the practice of folding and cutting paper to form three-dimensional structures, inspired the team to rethink the way fabric or film-based parachutes can be produced and deployed.
How the prototype works
The concept starts with a simple idea: a flat sheet that is precisely cut in a pattern. On release, that sheet unfurls into a parachute, delivering stability and controlled descent. Gosselin notes that the team has demonstrated a parachute made from cheap, everyday materials—paper, plastic, cardboard—that can be produced at very little cost compared with conventional parachute manufacturing. This cost efficiency, combined with the potential for recyclability and biodegradability, could broaden access to air-delivery capabilities in resource-limited settings.
Pattern design and materials
What makes the kirigami parachute distinctive is the pattern of cuts that unlocks three-dimensional behavior from a flat sheet. The researchers highlighted that the design can be fabricated using simple tools and materials, raising the possibility of inexpensive prototypes and even biodegradable implementations.
Size, scaling, and production
One striking finding is the pattern’s invariance with size: as long as the kirigami geometry is kept, the parachute behaves similarly at different scales. While the current demonstrator used a laser cutter capable of producing a two-by-three-foot piece (and costing tens of thousands of dollars), the team achieved a stable, straight-line descent with a simple Bristol board demonstration to illustrate the principle. A full-scale laser approach limits the size, but the research team is optimistic that scalability will follow once production methods are refined.
Why this matters: applications and implications
The researchers sketch a wide range of applications. For humanitarian aid, ultra-cheap kirigami parachutes could enable multiple drops per mission, reducing waste and cost per delivery. In drone logistics, they could serve as low-energy decelerators or payload compartments, helping small drones carry sensors or samples over longer distances. The authors also envision a hurricane-monitoring variant: lightweight kirigami chutes could carry sensors into storm regions to map properties at various altitudes, potentially improving weather prediction and disaster response.
Challenges and the path forward
Despite the promise, the project is still in its early stage. Manufacturing at scale remains a central hurdle: translating a lab demonstration into a reliable, mass-produced product requires robust, repeatable production lines and material choices that balance cost, strength and environmental impact. The team plans to continue refining kirigami patterns to improve descent quality, enable controlled rotation, and accommodate on-board devices like cameras or sensors.
As Gosselin explains, the work is fundamentally exploratory: the novelty lies in showing that kirigami can inform parachute design and that these patterns can perform consistently across sizes. The researchers acknowledge that reaching space-era ambitions—such as Martian parachutes functioning in an atmosphere far thinner than Earth’s—presents formidable physics and engineering challenges, but the team remains driven by the potential to expand what is possible with low-cost, adaptable parachutes.
The journey behind the parachute
The project spans two years and culminated in Danick Lamoureux’s master’s thesis, awarded Polytechnique’s best dissertation for 2024. A Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada grant supported Lamoureux’s travel to École polytechnique in Paris to test designs in a new environment. Gosselin emphasizes that the work is still at the fundamental research stage, intended to prove feasibility and guide future development rather than deliver a turnkey product today.
Looking ahead
In the near term, the team intends to optimize kirigami patterns for more complex functions—rotation, enhanced stability, and payload integration—while exploring scalable manufacturing techniques. Beyond Earth, the team recognizes the significant environmental differences that any Martian or lunar parachute would face. But for now, the kirigami parachute stands as a provocative demonstration of how traditional art forms can inspire practical engineering breakthroughs, offering fresh pathways for affordable and sustainable air delivery and sensing technologies.
