A Double Star Flexicube Paper Phone (or Whatever Print-on You Like)

This fold-out paper phone was born as a research-through-design idea and certainly inspired by a fellow experimenting with 'origami' during her design studies :)

I have taken the inspiration to a double star flexicube (or also known as Yoshimoto Cube) further for to visualize what's inside our oftentimes black-boxed technology, such as the mobile phone. That means with this endlessly folding flexicube you can turn the display/outer shell and the electronics/greenish inner livings inside out and outside in as often as you like. Using foldings/origami is also a reference to how easily accessible our technology actually ought to be for repair! Or reuse, or proper recycling!

(!!!Happy Global Recycling Day, today 18. March <3 !!!)

For an instructable to be, I leave it open to the audience, to have whatever print-on on the cubes' outer shells or inner livings. In that case some additional preparational work is needed with altering the graphics, and not least thinking out the right positioning of the graphic's parts, if the goal is that they fit together to make a whole in the end ;)

Supplies

- Graphic file (page 2-9)

- Printer and plain white paper 8 pages A4 (or whatever quality you'd prefer)

- Scissors/cutting knive and mat

Optional:

- Small glue dots (as used for photos in albums), recommended! although it's then not origami anymore ;)

- A print-out/download of the general instructions for a Double Star Flexicube by Dave Brill (c) (1989):

https://vallebird.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/dsf....

- The svg-file to further edit your own graphics onto the cube

- Patience, lots of

- Or help from fellows who like repetitive work

Step 1: (Edit), Print and Cut

Optional: If you want to make something else than this phone with 2 "displays" on the outer shell and greenish "electronics" inside, you'll have to use the empty template file (and inkscape/svg software) and fill with the graphics you like to put there instead.

Have a look at the general instructions on how to fold a double star flexicube by Dave Brill (c) (1989):

https://vallebird.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/dsf.pdf, and the graphic file that comes with this instructable. Every part you'll need is in this file, the numbering (like "1-L" or "to 2-R") refers to the position of a unit/cluster (1-16), its character (L = left, R = right unit) and to which other unit/cluster it belongs ("to ...").

Print out the file's pages (2 to 9) on plain white or other quality paper. Cut along the lines that bear small scissor symbols (I've optimized the positioning of units so you'll have less cuts to make :) ) You choose, whether you cut out everything first and then start folding, or only cut out the units you need as you go, altering folding and cutting.

Step 2: Fold a Unit

With each unit printed and cut, you'll have to do the eleven "Fold a unit" steps in order to fold it into the 3-dimensional unit that is needed for to build a cluster with 3 units each. In the general instructions by Brill this corresponds to steps 1-11, or 1-11a (incl. a rearranged step 2 and following steps) for a left-hand unit, or a right-hand unit respectively.

Step 3: Fold a Hinge Unit

For every 3 units you've made and which will build a cluster, you also need 1 (with the first cluster being made 2) hinge unit(s): These are left white, because they will disappear in your flexicube, providing it with the 16 hinges needed for endless folding :)

With each hinge unit you'll have to do the four "Fold a hinge unit" steps in order to fold it into the 3-dimensional shape that connects units to a cluster. In the general instructions by Brill this corresponds to steps 12 to 15.

Step 4: Form a Half Cube Cluster

In the general instructions by Brill, corresponding to steps 16 and 17, have a look how a hinge unit is inserted into one of the units. With 3 units that belong together and - when starting with the first cluster - two hinge units (further on adding only one hinge unit each), start to form a half cube cluster.

Corresponding to step 18 in the general instructions by Brill, all 3 triangular flaps of the units go into the corresponding triangular pockets of the same 3 units. These can be supported by applying a small glue dot on each flap. Next, the rectangular flaps of two hinge units go under the triangular pockets of a unit's flat part. When starting to assemble half cube clusters together, one of those rectangular hinge unit flaps stems from the other half cube cluster. That means with each cluster added only one additional hinge unit follows along (when finalizing with the last cluster, there is no remaining hinge unit, as there were used two at the start).

Step 5: Link 8 Half Cube Clusters by 8 Hinge Units = a Star; Times 2 = a Double Star

8 half cube clusters linked by 8 hinge units form one "star" or flexicube (see "Some of the shapes made by flexing the construction" on page 3 of the general instructions).

Here, clusters 1-8 form one flexicube in the configuration as shown on top of the page, and clusters 9-16 form a flexicube in the configuration as shown in the bottom right corner of the page. These two configurations fit into each other and have the graphics (the two phone displays) on the top and bottom surface. When configured as star forms, they show the greenish electronics print allover.

That's it. You made the Double Star Flexicube Paper Phone. Congrats!

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Step 6: Enjoy!