MIAMI – The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) has awarded FIU an additional $4.82 million to expand its groundbreaking research on origami antennas. Last year, the AFOSR granted $4.82 million to establish the Transforming Antennas Center (TAC). The funding total, close to $10 million, will be distributed over six years.

TAC develops innovative and advanced origami-based antennas for the next generation of Air Force and Department of Defense systems. The dynamically adaptable antennas can be compactly stowed, easily collapsed and quickly deployed, enhancing, for example, the agility of warfighters in the battlefield and satellite communications. The new grant builds on existing research, such as the expansion of designs and materials to be used and will enable TAC to perform fundamental studies as well as develop new computational tools and building blocks for these robust foldable antenna systems. It will also support convergence research and enhance the center’s workforce development efforts.