Object with Behavior
This is a soft robotics project I found a while ago online by designer Aslak Siimes, which features a joint made of a soft material. Due to the flexibility and range of motion of this soft material, the robot is able to perform fluid and life-like motion.
I thought that the simplicity of the robot was the project’s key point. As soft materials are better able to mimic organic motion, a simple object with soft joints is still able to seem lifelike and have a personality through movement and interaction.
Therms-Up!: DIY Inflatables and Interactive Materials by Upcycling Wasted Thermoplastic Bags
Kyung Yun Choi and Hiroshi Ishii. 2021. Therms-Up!: DIY Inflatables and Interactive Materials by Upcycling Wasted Thermoplastic Bags. In Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI ’21). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 51, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1145/3430524.3442457
A project by MIT Media Lab exploring introducing a DIY method of creating inflatables and prototyping interactive materials from wasted thermoplastic bags that are easily found at home. Using a 3D printer with no customizations, the team explored various patterns, embossings, and melting techniques to prototype inflatable objects that can be used for various applications.
I think this is an interesting project as it provides a low access point to soft robotics and I can see us trying this method too for fast prototyping and testing different mechanics to create movement.