A Zipper Patent Sat in a Garage for 40 Years. Now It's Real

bell-cot

> ... the Y-Zipper, a 3D-printed, three-sided fastener that can snap a floppy, flexible structure into a rigid, load-bearing beam with one smooth pull. Not a mechanical engineer, but I'd figure both the "rigid" and "load-bearing" aspects will be far poorer than conventional beams of the same size and weight.

probably_wrong

I suggest reading the original linked article, if only because it includes a video with the zipper in action: https://news.mit.edu/2026/three-sided-y-zipper-design-0504

Modified3019

This reads like it’s been machine generated.

__MatrixMan__

It brings to mind satellites assembling themselves in space. Send up a tightly packed box of spaghetti and extrude it into the desired physical shape upon arrival in orbit. For increased rigidity, paint with a solar pumped laser to weld the links together.

ChrisArchitect

Meanwhile over at YKK Japan... The zipper is getting its first major upgrade in 100 years (2025) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45634797

fragmede

Just sell me the tent already!

UltraSane

This makes me think of microtubules.