Fig. 3: Design of the thick-panel origami tube.

a A general zero-thickness origami tube with rigid foldability. Facets containing A_i, B_i, C_i, and D_i (i = 1,2,4) belong to the top layer, and facets containing A_i, B_i, C_i, and D_i (i = 2,3,4) belong to the bottom layer. The top layer can fully deploy into a flat state, enabling further structural modifications. b Alternative Miura-ori tube and its rigid-foldable thick-panel origami tube derived from (a). The facets are replaced with thick panels, and the creases are converted into rotational joints. To avoid structural interference near valley creases (e.g., C₁C₂ and D₁D₂), material from adjacent panels of valley creases is removed. c Tessellation of the basic unit from (b). The top surface is not seamless due to the presence of grooves, which are evident in Section A around the joints M and N. d 3D-printed model of thick-panel origami. The yellow surfaces form a seamless layer, while the white areas consist of bevel structures and rotational joints. The blue panels form the back frames and belong to the bottom layer. The physical model is presented in the attached video, S1.