Researchers working in the field of reconfigurable robotics at MIT and Cambridge University have released some captivating video and details this week on a new material they have developed that can fold itself in a variety of shapes. The flat sheets draw upon the ancient art of origami to pull their triangular sections into making folds that form the material into boats, airplanes, and tents. Named "programmable matter by folding" the new material contains tiny actuators along the fold lines which receive an electric current from circuits hidden within the sheets. A computer can be used to model a desired shape and the materials will go into action, using its triangular sections not only to form the desired shape, but also different levels of stiffness in the material itself. Once its transformation is complete, tiny magnets hold the material corners together. Described in detail in this week's issue of PNAS, the material's creators envision the material being used to create adjustable camera tripods or even cups that can change their shape to suit the liquid being poured into them.