PyKirigami: An interactive Python simulator for kirigami structures
Provides a rapid prototyping tool for researchers studying deployable kirigami structures, addressing the computational bottleneck of high-fidelity FEA for kinematic exploration.
PyKirigami is a lightweight, open-source Python framework for fast kinematic simulation of kirigami structures, modeling tessellations as rigid-body networks to enable real-time deployment simulation and collision detection. It allows researchers to validate folding paths and identify locking states before detailed mechanical analysis.
In recent years, the concept of kirigami has been used in creating deployable structures for various scientific and technological applications. While high-fidelity Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is the standard for analyzing stress distributions and material deformation, it is computationally intensive and often ill-suited for the rapid exploration of vast kinematic configuration spaces. In this work, we develop PyKirigami, a lightweight, open-source Python framework for the efficient deployment simulation of kirigami structures. Unlike continuum mechanics solvers, PyKirigami models tessellations as articulated rigid-body networks, allowing for the real-time simulation of global deployment trajectories and volumetric transformations. The tool incorporates collision detection and interactive actuation, enabling users to validate folding paths and identify geometric locking states in both 2D and 3D topologies. This framework serves as a fast kinematic prototyping tool for kirigami structures, allowing researchers to verify deployment mechanics and self-contacts prior to performing detailed mechanical analysis or physical fabrication.