Artist and physicist, Dr. Robert J. Lang, combines the ancient art of paper-folding with mathematics to produce intricate practical solutions for the space program. He also makes paper animals.
Origami plus mathematics can produce complex practical geometry for industry and engineering
Origami, the art of paper folding often associated with Japanese culture, has many surprising practical applications in the modern scientific and engineering world.
Full-time origami artist and consultant Dr. Lang’s work combines East and West
Dr. Lang’s work combines aspects of the Western school of mathematical origami design with the Eastern emphasis upon line and form to yield models that are at once distinctive, elegant, and challenging to fold.
In 1992 Dr. Lang became the first Westerner ever invited to address the Nippon Origami Association’s annual meeting; he has since been an invited guest at international origami conventions around the world. He lectures widely on origami and its connections to mathematics, science, and technology, and teaches workshops on both artistic techniques and applications of folding in industrial design.
Along the way to his current career as a full-time origami artist and consultant he worked as a a physicist, engineer, and R&D manager, during which time he authored or co-authored over 80 technical publications and 50 patents awarded and pending on semiconductor lasers, optics, and integrated optoelectronics.
Source: langorigami
Printable Origami Instructions
Just for fun, here is a link to some printable origami diagrams made into convenient pdfs. You can print them out and try origami for yourself.