Every now and then, a budding young innovator steps into the limelight and reminds us all of the intricate beauty found in creativity. Meet Miles Wu, a talented 14-year-old from New York City, whose passion for origami has not only brought forth stunning designs but has the potential to revolutionize disaster relief. His story of perseverance and ingenuity is sure to inspire anyone who has dared to dream.

Miles’s journey began years ago with a simple piece of paper and an overflowing imagination. Fascinated by the art of origami, he started folding intricate animals and insects. As he honed his skills, he realized he could design his own creations, experimenting with shapes and structures that could captivate the mind and defy expectations.

However, it was during the natural disasters of January, including the wildfires in Southern California and Hurricane Helene, that Miles discovered the real impact origami could have. He delved deep into the concept of deployable disaster shelters, unraveling the problems faced in emergencies. He learned that while some tents are sturdy, portable, or easy to deploy, they rarely encompass all these features simultaneously. This realization sparked an idea in him: what if origami could provide a solution?

Thus began Miles’s ambitious project centered around a special fold known as Miura-ori. This technique creates patterned parallelograms that can compress into a smaller area while maintaining strength. Driven by curiosity, he undertook extensive personal experimentation—testing various kinds of paper and adjusting shapes, lengths, angles, and more. He crafted an incredible 54 variations and conducted over 108 trials to discover how much weight these creations could support.

Through countless hours of research and some help from his parents, who supported his quest with special weights to conduct his final tests, Miles made an astonishing discovery. “The most robust Miura-ori I tested could hold over 10,000 times its own weight,” he marveled. Just to put that into perspective, that’s equivalent to a single New York City taxi cab being supported by more than 4,000 elephants!

The culmination of his hard work paid off when he competed in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. Out of 2,000 aspiring innovators, only 300 were selected to present their projects, culminating in an unforgettable trip to Washington, D.C. From there, Miles emerged as the top innovator, claiming a well-deserved prize of $25,000, which his parents have earmarked for his higher education.

With a bright future ahead, Miles is not stopping here. He’s already brainstorming new ideas and continuing his research into the fascinating world of origami. With dreams fueled by passion and creativity, this young inventor is proof that innovation knows no age limits.

Join us in celebrating this remarkable young man and his outstanding contributions! Share his story to inspire others around you!