Georgia Tech Partners with STILFOLD to Advance Origami Engineering Program

Georgia Tech’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering has partnered with Stockholm-based startup STILFOLD to roll out a pioneering initiative that will teach students innovative new approaches to sustainable manufacturing, inspired by the Japanese art of origami.  

STILFOLD is a leading design and technology startup pioneering the use of curve folding and robotics to build things more sustainably. Their groundbreaking technology, dubbed “industrial origami”, involves the use of robots to fold flat sheet metal over curves to create strong and sustainable new structures. The tech is currently being used to build a lightweight electric motorcycle called the STILRIDE 1; and the world’s first climate-neutral car (in partnership with Polestar). 

STILFOLD will now work with Georgia Tech’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering to advance the institution’s existing Origami Engineering program and introduce students to its innovative suite of sustainable manufacturing technologies. STILFOLD will share its cutting-edge insights into curve-folding, and its pioneering “industrial origami” software and hardware, with students at Georgia Tech to teach them how innovative approaches to manufacturing can streamline production processes, reduce costs and minimize engineers’ environmental impact.  

Students from Georgia Tech will also have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience using STILFOLD’s advanced manufacturing technology with the opportunity to visit the company’s head office in Stockholm, Sweden. STILFOLD will start working with the Origami Engineering program this fall, with students able to visit Stockholm from next spring. 

The new initiative will also create exciting opportunities for knowledge-sharing between STILFOLD and Georgia Tech. Both organizations will work collaboratively to explore new technologies and innovations in the field of Civil and Environmental Engineering linked to the concept of “industrial origami”. This collaboration will support STILFOLD in its mission to remain at the forefront of the sustainable manufacturing industry, developing groundbreaking manufacturing solutions that transform how we build things and benefit both people and planet.  

Jonas Nyvang, CEO and co-founder at STILFOLD, comments: 

“This collaboration represents an exciting opportunity for us to work closely with a leading educational institution to help develop the skills and knowledge of the next generation of engineers. We look forward to working with Georgia Tech’s staff and its brightest young minds to break exciting new ground and showcase the value of innovation and entrepreneurship when it comes to building a greener future for industry and our planet.” 

Dr. Lauren Stewart of Georgia Tech’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering comments: 

“We are excited to partner with STILFOLD. This initiative will provide our students with hands-on experience with advanced technology, cutting-edge structural engineering, and sustainable manufacturing. Further, the students will get the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship, a core value of our School, directly from a startup.  We’re delighted to be working with a company as innovative as STILFOLD, and look forward to exploring new innovations and technologies that will keep us at the forefront of the field.”   

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