Origami-based designs refer to the application of the ancient art of origami to solve engineering problems of different nature. Despite being implemented at dimensions that range from the nano to the meter scale, origami-based designs are always defined by the laws that govern their geometrical properties at any scale. It is thus not surprising to notice that the study of their applications has become of cross-disciplinary interest. This article aims to review recent origami-based applications in engineering, design methods and tools, with a focus on research outcomes from 2015 to 2020. First, an introduction to origami history, mathematical background and terminology is given. Origami-based applications in engineering are reviewed largely in the following fields: biomedical engineering, architecture, robotics, space structures, biomimetic engineering, fold-cores, and metamaterials. Second, design methods, design tools, and related manufacturing constraints are discussed. Finally, the article concludes with open questions and future challenges.

In sub-Saharan Africa, cooler houses would increase the coverage of insecticide-treated bednets, the primary malaria control tool. We examined whether improved ventilation, using windows screened with netting, cools houses at night and reduces malaria mosquito house entry in The Gambia. Identical houses were constructed, with badly fitting doors the only mosquito entry points. Two men slept in each house and mosquitoes captured using light traps. First, temperature and mosquito density were compared in four houses with 0, 1, 2 and 3 screened windows. Second, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), a major mosquito attractant, was measured in houses with (i) no windows, (ii) screened windows and (iii) screened windows and screened doors. Computational fluid dynamic modelling captured the spatial movement of CO 2 . Increasing ventilation made houses cooler, more comfortable and reduced malaria mosquito house entry; with three windows reducing mosquito densities by 95% (95%CI = 90–98%). Screened windows and doors reduced the indoor temperature by 0.6°C (95%CI = 0.5–0.7°C), indoor CO 2 concentrations by 31% between 21.00 and 00.00 h and malaria mosquito entry by 76% (95%CI = 69–82%). Modelling shows screening reduces CO 2 plumes from houses. Under our experimental conditions, cross-ventilation not only reduced indoor temperature, but reduced the density of house-entering malaria mosquitoes, by weakening CO 2 plumes emanating from houses.

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