Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an origami-inspired construction method that could enable the fabrication of lightweight, rigid structures using less material and simpler assembly techniques. The approach could eventually be used for emergency shelters, architectural components and lightweight aerospace parts.

The modular system uses components cut from flat sheets of material, folded into shape and connected to form three-dimensional structural shells. According to MIT, simulations indicate that the structures can be approximately 3.5 times stiffer than those produced using some other structural origami techniques, while requiring only about two-thirds as much material.The research was announced by MIT on October 27 and published in the International Journal of Solids and Structures.

Building structures through folding

The researchers drew inspiration from geometric patterns developed by artist and scientist Ron Resch in the 1960s. Unlike methods that fold a single sheet into a complete structure, the new approach uses individually fabricated components that are folded and connected to create a larger framework.

Alfonso Parra Rubio, a graduate student at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms and lead author of the study, developed a method for combining two tripod-shaped units into a rigid building block. These blocks can be interconnected to form a network of beams that creates a lightweight structural shell.

To simplify the design process, the team developed computational software that automatically generates components according to the intended structure. The software checks whether individual units can be folded before combining them into the final design.

The resulting files can be sent to computer-controlled cutting equipment to manufacture components from flat sheets of material, including aluminium. Workers can then fold and assemble the units using basic hand tools, without requiring large-scale welding equipment.

Demonstration at architectural scale

To demonstrate the method’s scalability, the researchers constructed a 23-foot folded-aluminium sculpture that was installed in the atrium of the Boston Public Library. According to MIT, a team without professional construction experience assembled the structure in a matter of days.

The researchers say the modular design simplifies assembly because the components are engineered to fit into their intended positions as the structure takes shape.

Representational image.Image credit:Pexels

However, the reported stiffness improvements are based on simulations comparing the method with other origami-based systems. Further testing will be necessary to establish its performance across different materials, loading conditions and real-world construction environments.

Potential applications

One potential application is disaster-relief housing. Flat-packed components could be transported efficiently to areas affected by earthquakes or floods and assembled on site, potentially reducing transportation and construction requirements.

The approach could also be explored for lightweight aerospace components, modular robots, sound-dampening panels and building facades. Its ability to create rigid structural shells without interior support columns could offer additional flexibility in architectural design.

The researchers plan to test the technique in larger architectural structures and investigate more complex component geometries that could improve strength and stiffness. They also intend to develop a more accessible interface for designing structures using the system.

While the method has yet to demonstrate widespread use in buildings, the research illustrates how geometric design and digital manufacturing could offer alternatives for constructing complex structures.

Its practical adoption will depend on factors including durability, manufacturing costs, structural safety and performance under real-world conditions. Nevertheless, the approach presents a potential option for applications where reducing material use and simplifying assembly are priorities.

An international team of researchers from India and Belgium has developed portable particle detectors that could help scientists examine the interiors of mountains, tunnels and historical monuments without damaging them. The technology uses naturally occurring cosmic-ray particles to map variations in the density of objects, offering a potential approach to non-invasive imaging of large structures.

The detectors, developed using glass-based Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs), achieved a particle-detection efficiency exceeding 95% during testing, according to a report published by Research Matters on October 24, 2026. The findings demonstrate the potential of compact detector systems to investigate dense materials and support future applications in geology, archaeology and infrastructure assessment.

The collaboration includes researchers from India’s National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, and the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), alongside researchers from Belgian institutions, including Université catholique de Louvain and the Inter-University Institute for High Energies.

How cosmic rays reveal hidden structures

The technology uses muons, high-energy particles produced when cosmic rays interact with Earth’s atmosphere. These particles continuously reach the Earth’s surface and can penetrate substantial thicknesses of rock, concrete and other materials.

As muons travel through an object, some are absorbed or deflected depending on its density and thickness. By measuring the number and trajectories of particles passing through a structure, researchers can identify variations in internal density and reconstruct images of otherwise inaccessible areas.

The technique, known as muography, is comparable in principle to X-ray imaging, but uses naturally occurring particles instead of an artificial radiation source. It has previously been used to investigate geological formations, including volcanoes, and to explore archaeological structures.

However, conventional muon detectors can be bulky, difficult to transport and challenging to operate in remote locations. The new glass-based detectors aim to address some of these limitations through a compact design and sealed operation, reducing dependence on continuous gas supplies.

Testing the detector system

The researchers developed three glass RPC prototypes using thin glass electrodes separated by gas-filled gaps. When a muon passes through a chamber, it ionises the gas, generating an electrical signal that can be recorded to determine the particle’s position.

Electronic readout systems capture these signals and help reconstruct the trajectories of incoming particles. During testing, the detectors achieved an efficiency exceeding 95%, with a timing resolution of approximately 1.8 nanoseconds, according to the research report.

To examine the system’s ability to detect dense materials, the team conducted an absorption experiment using one prototype. During an open-sky measurement, researchers recorded nearly 55,000 muon tracks. After placing a lead block in the experimental setup, the recorded count fell to 30,894, demonstrating how dense material reduced the number of particles reaching the detector.

Representational image.Image credit:Pexels

The experiment provided proof of principle that the system could measure muon attenuation and support radiographic imaging. However, imaging complex structures such as mountains or monuments requires measurements from multiple directions and further computational reconstruction.

Applications and challenges ahead

Portable muon detectors could eventually help researchers investigate hidden cavities, examine geological formations, inspect tunnels and study the internal structures of historical monuments. Engineers could also explore their application in assessing infrastructure such as dams and bridges, although these uses would require additional testing and validation.

For cultural heritage conservation, muography could offer a valuable alternative where drilling or other invasive investigations risk damaging fragile structures. A 2025 review published in iScience highlighted the technique’s potential as a complementary, non-destructive method for studying cultural heritage objects, while noting that the relatively low flux of naturally occurring muons can require lengthy data-collection periods.

The technology is not yet a universal replacement for existing inspection methods. Its practical application will depend on factors such as spatial resolution, detector size, measurement duration and the complexity of the structure being examined.

The researchers have proposed further improvements, including lighter structural materials, larger detector areas and enhanced readout systems. These developments could make the detectors easier to deploy and improve the quality of reconstructed images.

When a massive star dies, its core can collapse into an extremely dense object called a neutron star. Despite being only about the size of a city, it can have a mass comparable to that of the Sun. Its powerful gravity can pull matter away from a nearby companion star, releasing energy in the form of X-rays as the material falls towards it.

Scientists at Bengaluru’s Raman Research Institute (RRI) have studied these X-ray signals from Centaurus X-3, a star system about 24,000 light-years from Earth. By examining changes in the signals, the researchers identified a stream of matter flowing towards the neutron star and found evidence of a rotating disk of material around it. This is an unusual finding because such disks are not commonly expected in this type of star system. The discovery could help scientists better understand how matter moves around neutron stars and how these distant objects produce X-rays.

Star That Pulls in Matter

Centaurus X-3 is in the constellation Centaurus. It belongs to a class of systems known as high-mass X-ray binaries. These systems contain a neutron star and a massive companion star held together by gravity.

A neutron star forms when the core of a massive star collapses at the end of its life. It packs roughly the Sun’s mass into a sphere only about the size of a city. Its gravity is so strong that it can pull in material from a nearby companion star. As this material falls towards the neutron star, it releases enormous amounts of energy, including X-rays. Scientists study this radiation to understand how the material behaves and how the system works.

Centaurus X-3 is also a pulsar. Its neutron star rotates and sends out radiation from regions near its magnetic poles. As the star spins, these beams sweep across space. When a beam passes an observing satellite, the satellite detects a pulse of radiation, much as a lighthouse produces a repeating flash as it turns. These regular pulses provide scientists with a way to study the neutron star and its surroundings.

What the Changing Signals Revealed

The radiation from Centaurus X-3 does not come only from the neutron star itself. Some of it interacts with nearby material, including the surface of the companion star, gas flowing away from it and matter surrounding the neutron star. This material absorbs radiation and emits it again. Scientists call this secondary radiation.

Changes in this radiation can help researchers work out what is happening around the neutron star. However, Centaurus X-3 is so far away that telescopes cannot clearly distinguish its surrounding structures. It appears as a single point of light. Scientists must therefore piece together the system’s structure from the signals they receive.

Earlier observations had shown that the intensity of certain secondary X-ray emission lines changed as the neutron star rotated. An emission line is a feature in a spectrum that can reveal information about the material producing or interacting with the radiation. A research team led by Kinjal Roy of RRI examined four such emission lines in detail. The researchers found that the structure producing these changes must be rotating along with the neutron star.

The pattern helped them identify the likely source which is a stream of matter moving towards the neutron star.

Following the stream of matter

This stream is part of a process called accretion, in which a compact object draws in material from its surroundings. In Centaurus X-3, the stream carries matter from an accretion disk towards the neutron star. The disk is a rotating structure of gas and other material that moves around the star before being drawn inwards. The neutron star’s magnetic field then guides the incoming matter towards its magnetic poles.

The stream also changes what an observing satellite sees. As it moves around the neutron star, it can come between the satellite and the star, partially blocking the direct radiation. When this happens, the primary X-ray signal weakens. At the same time, radiation from the stream itself becomes stronger in the observed signal.

The researchers used these changing signals to connect the observed variations to the movement of matter around the neutron star. The evidence for an accretion stream also points to an accretion disk feeding it. This matters because scientists generally expect high-mass X-ray binaries to gather material in a different way.

Why an accretion disk matters

In many high-mass X-ray binaries, a neutron star captures gas directly from the stream of material blown away by its companion star. This is known as stellar-wind accretion. An accretion disk involves a different arrangement: material gathers into a rotating structure before flowing towards the neutron star. The findings from Centaurus X-3 indicate that this disk-based process is taking place in a system where it is not generally expected.

That difference matters when scientists calculate how the system produces and releases radiation. If their models leave out the disk, they may fail to account for some of the radiation coming from the surrounding material.

“Accretion disk is not expected to occur in [HMXBs] So, if an accretion disk is forming in this system, emission models have to be modified,” Roy said in the Department of Science and Technology’s announcement. He added that future models of Centaurus X-3 would need to account for radiation from the disk.

The research does not mean that scientists have directly photographed the disk. Instead, they have used the changing X-ray signals to infer the presence and behaviour of structures that remain too distant to resolve clearly. Published in The Astrophysical Journal, the study adds to the understanding of Centaurus X-3, one of the most widely studied binary pulsars. It also shows how small changes in radiation can reveal the movement of matter around objects that are otherwise beyond the reach of direct observation.

By identifying the flow responsible for the changing signals, the researchers have provided a more detailed picture of how this neutron star draws in material. That picture will help scientists refine their models of Centaurus X-3 and examine whether similar processes occur in other high-mass X-ray binaries.