Engineers at the University of Michigan have found that ancient basket-weaving techniques could be the key to creating a new class of resilient and stiff materials for the 21st century. The research ...

Woven fabric is resilient to stress because it tends to bend more than rigid materials before breaking. Jordan Lye/Moment via Getty Images People have been using flat, ribbonlike materials, such as ...

The structures used four different corner arrangements that brought together three, four, five and six planes. For comparison, the team assembled the same structures with continuous, unwoven Mylar.

People have been using flat, ribbonlike materials, such as reed strips, to make woven baskets for thousands of years. This weaving method has reemerged as a technique for engineers to create textile ...