And then I really don't get the "disaster relief" part: how would this help build solid tents? If you lay the pattern flat on the ground, sure it holds a lot of weight. But instead of this pattern, if you pile up stuff directly on the ground, usually it holds very well too...
Then could you build a wall with that structure? Not clear to me how that would help. And it doesn't seem like it would hold on a flat roof.
It's nice that a 14yo systematically tested a structure and all, and good for him for winning a competition. But it seems a bit exagerated to say that he discovered a pattern that could help for disaster relief.
Flat pack (container) and drags out to 100's of meters. This has military purposes, but there are immediate other potential applications without even squinting that hard.
Cardboard beds for refugee camps: https://newatlas.com/good-thinking/ingenious-cardboard-bed/
Fold-down (from wall) stairs: https://sawmillstructures.com/product/stair-wall-fold-flat-w...
Cardboard honeycomb packaging cushioning: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Honeycomb-Cushion-Wra...
...and some of the OG uses of the same "Miura fold" for deploying solar panels in outer space: https://old.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/cbzjp...
(in my nerdier days, I used to re-fold tourist maps using this technique so it'd "auto-open/close")
Business Insider seems pretty hip.
