Animating Matter
Iddo Yehoshua Wald, Yoav Orlev, Andrey Grishko, Oren Zuckerman · 2017
Shape-changing materials development strives to generate motion in new ways, extending the traditional motor-based and mechanism-based techniques. We present a system that uses continuous magnetic force to create movement in a range of soft materials such as textile, foam, paper or silicon. The system has two parts: a control platform and a multi-material layer. The control platform is an array of electromagnets controlled by a microcontroller. The multi-material layer is made of a soft material with embedded ferromagnetic elements. The subtle electromagnetic force manipulates the embedded ferromagnetic material, resulting in continuous and organic-like movement in the material layer. We hope our system can empower designers to generate expressive movement with a broad range of materials. In our own work, we aim to extend our Empathy Objects research with soft materials, creating physical objects that convey emotion through expressive movement.