Architecture and computer science merging to create a new kind of materials. Programmable smart material that are designed and programmed to take the needed shape as an alternative to big robotic mechanisms. One name at the center of this new emerging technology, Skylar Tibbits. He is the founder and co-director of the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT and associate professor of design research in the department of architecture. He has a degree in architecture and minor in experimental computation, as well as a Master in Science in Design Computation and Master of Science in Computer Science.

In the forever research for better, cost effective and smart new products, Skylar pioneered 4D printing as a solution to costly and heavy robotic mechanisms. “Robotic mechanisms can be expensive, failure-prone, hard to assemble and require power”, therefor using 3D printing to transform already existing or new material into programmable resources is ideal!

To read more about how programmable material is possible, check out the full article below.

Frances, K. (2017). ‘A peel into the brave new world of programmable materials’ [Online] IDEAS.TED.COM. Available at https://ideas.ted.com/a-peek-into-the-brave-new-world-of-programmable-materials/ [22 October 2020].