These parachutes unfurl thanks to the Japanese art of kirigami

Scientists have developed a revolutionary parachute design inspired by kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting, that automatically opens when dropped and falls straight down regardless of initial orientation. The parachute consists of a thin Mylar disk with concentric slits that expand into a lattice structure when pulled open by rushing air, creating drag to slow descent. In tests, these perforated parachutes demonstrated superior accuracy, with a 1-kilogram water bottle dropped from 60 meters reaching only 14 meters per second versus 34 meters per second without protection. The design could revolutionize humanitarian aid drops and drone deliveries while being simpler to construct than conventional fabric parachutes.