Origami-Inspired Deployable Electromagnetic Waveguides

A waveguide is a structure that directs and propagates electromagnetic waves with minimal power loss. The most common type of waveguide is a hollow conductive metal pipe that transports high frequency signals. Total internal reflection from the conducting walls guides the waves. Waveguides can handle high power and provide wide bandwidth; hence, they are employed in numerous high power and high frequency applications, e.g., they are widely used in satellite communication payloads. This research aims to develop deployable waveguides that occupy minimal volume before deployment. Due to the stringent payload constraints associated with space missions, designing the waveguide as a deployable structure is advantageous. An origami-inspired shopping bag design and bellow design were adopted to fabricate deployable waveguides and their electromagnetic transmission properties were assessed. A numerical framework was designed to efficiently conduct a parametric simulation study. Experiments were carried out to validate the simulation results. Simulation and experimental results indicate that the origami-inspired shopping bag and bellow waveguide has low-loss transmission capabilities and holds promise for space missions.