Before watching this video, I was among those who only knew about origami in terms of its aesthetics. In our day-to-day existence, we tend to associate the Japanese art of paper folding with decorative elements or perhaps in my case as an Art & Craft project. However, this documentary has broaden my horizons on the medical applications of origami. It is fascinating how engineers use origami techniques on a nano scale to design tools and microscopic devices.
While we often think that traditional inventions of the past are outdated and irrelevant to the modern world, in reality, the knowledge and technologies used by our ancestors can become the foundation for new technological advancements. Origami serves as a vivid example of this and has sparked my interest in researching past technologies from a new perspective.
Origami has had a significant impact on my life as well. A family member of mine underwent surgery that required cleansing of the blood vessels in the body. I was amazed to learn that origami is an essential part of the foldable device that minimizes invasive procedures and allows for maneuvering within the blood canals. This technology is truly one of the most innovative solutions of modern designers of our lives, the engineers, that positively impact them.