This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Origami is great, but what if we could use it as a...
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Origami is great, but what if we could use it as a starting point to create a new, sustainable, structural material for consumer products? Speaker Ata Sina is doing just that and tells us how his love of art and engineering have combined to lead him on this path to innovation.nnEquipped with a Master of Science degree from Linnaeus University in Sweden and seven years of experience as a piping designer engineer in the oil and gas industry in Iran, Ata is currently a master’s student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, and spends most of his time conducting research at the Pulp and Paper Centre. Along the way he has always found ways to express himself artistically, developing his skills in areas such as acting, graphic design, and music. Ata has performed in various plays in four local theaters in Vancouver, as well as in the Tehran International Theatre Festival over the last several years. He believes there are many connections between engineering skills and artistic ideas and it is here that innovation can take place. This balance of art and science inspires Ata’s current research which focuses on developing a novel method of creating complex self-folding 3-D paper products. This ‘Origami Engineering’ has the potential to serve as a new, sustainable material for product design. nnAbout TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations) Less
