AQUATIC METAMORPHOSIS
Experimental study of active gel and its applications in design.
Ongoing collaboration with the The Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University
My fascination with design which constantly adapts and transforms according to its surroundings has paved my road to the Racah Institute of Physics, where I found a wellspring of knowledge in the field of self morphing design. Over the past two years working at this institute, I explored how different materials could be programmed to transform into designated geometries as a response to external triggers.
During my work there I designed the project of “Aquatic metamorphosis”.
Beneath the waves, otherworldly underwater creatures perform an autonomous choreography, constantly changing, responding to the temperature fluctuations of water around them.
However, these creatures are not the result of any biological evolution; rather they were created by careful programming of material responses.
A thermoresponsive hydrogel called NIPA has the ability to significantly shrink when exposed to temperatures around 32 degrees celsius and expand when exposed to 27 degrees. When a thin sheet of gel is constrained by a non-shrinking layer - opposing forces come into play. The gel strives to shrink or expand, while the constraining layer seeks to maintain its original dimensions. This interplay leads to a geometric solution that minimizes energy in the thin sheet, resulting in a predetermined three-dimensional form in space.
By manipulating the properties of the NIPA gel and the constraining layer I programmed the geometric transformations that each design undergoes as a response to the changing temperatures.
By manipulating the properties of the NIPA gel and the constraining layer I programmed the geometric transformations that each design undergoes as a response to the changing temperatures.
By manipulating the properties of the NIPA gel and the constraining layer I programmed the geometric transformations that each design undergoes as a response to the changing temperatures.
In this project I strived to explore the borders that we build between our definition of the natural and the artificial.
What happens when our designs are no longer striving to be as solid and as unchanging as possible?
What happens when we give place to motion, responsiveness and adaptability in our designs? Could we create more resilient structures? Could we build in a much more effective way?
Could we develop new solutions that could become an inseparable part of their natural surroundings,
sheltering and repairing it from human caused damages?