How laser “origami” could build structures in space
- UF laser origami research could shape future moon construction.
- Researchers are also investigating how laser forming could make it possible to manufacture with materials that are difficult or impossible to shape using conventional methods.
- The technology could create new possibilities for building tools, infrastructure and other systems in space, where conventional manufacturing equipment is often too large or difficult to use.
University of Florida researchers are exploring how lasers could help astronauts build structures on the moon using materials already available there, including lunar soil transformed into glass.
The work, led by Victoria M. Miller, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and researcher with the UF Astraeus Space Institute, recently completed a DARPA-funded research phase focused on laser forming, a manufacturing process that bends materials without physical contact.
The team’s latest paper, published in Lasers in Manufacturing and Materials Processing, examined how different atmospheric conditions affect laser bending, an important question for future manufacturing in the vacuum of space.
The long-term applications extend beyond space exploration and could also support flexible manufacturing efforts on Earth.
“It is also for Earth applications. We’re focused on flexible manufacturing for defense applications,” said Miller, who works in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
The same technology could eventually allow astronauts to manufacture tools and replacement parts in orbit or on the moon instead of transporting large inventories from Earth.
“When something breaks in space, you don’t want to have to carry, you know, 3 spares of every part,” Miller said. “It would be really convenient if you could just make a spare part on demand.”
Laser forming works by using concentrated heat to bend materials into new shapes without molds, heavy machinery or direct physical force. Researchers say the lightweight and flexible nature of the technology makes it especially promising for space missions, where every pound of cargo matters.
“So when we build things on Earth, we have machinery,” Miller said. “And just massive amounts of machinery and weight and volume are not really constraints when we’re doing conventional manufacturing on Earth.”
In space, those limitations become much more significant.
“If we have to take tools, tools are heavy, and they are big, and it costs a ton of money and a ton of resources just to get stuff into space,” Miller said.
One of the team’s most promising experiments involved using lunar regolith, the loose rock and dust found on the moon’s surface.
“One of the experiments that we did, was having a collaborator make a piece of glass out of lunar soil simulant,” Miller said. “And then we used our laser bending technology to bend the lunar glass.”
The demonstration points toward the possibility of manufacturing structures directly from materials already present on the moon, reducing the need to launch building supplies from Earth.
The research team is also exploring how laser forming could expand manufacturing possibilities beyond traditional materials.
“The thing that I’m most excited about is that we can bend basically anything,” Miller said. “I haven’t found a material that we can’t bend yet, even glass.”
Those capabilities could open new opportunities for building systems and structures in space environments where traditional manufacturing tools are impractical.
As UF expands its role in space research, Miller said the project reflects a broader collaborative and future-focused direction for the university.
“I think that this research reflects the direction of space research at UF because it is collaborative and future looking,” Miller said. “Looking at how we can build things on the moon, build things on Mars, and how we can actually make sure that astronauts stay safe and healthy.”