SmartFiber
Masaru Ohkubo, Takuya Nojima · 2018
As a way to augment shape and movement of a tangible object, we propose an actuator interface called "SmartFiber". Different from our previous work, SmartHair[7], this interface integrates an actuation and information network. The SmartFiber is composed of a silicon tube and two kinds of wires: (1) a pair of shape memory alloy wires and (2) copper wires. These copper wires contain a signal bus, which comprises an information network of shape changing interfaces. Within the network, actuators bend, shrink and rotate according to a control signal on the bus. By connecting to a power supply and sensor-integrated connectors, the user can compose a physically augmented object that has additional shape and movement. This system contributes to composing an augmented interface, which is a material-controllable extension of an object. The chain and mesh of the interface enable reconfiguration of the tangible object's functions by attaching new shapes and movements above its surface. In this paper we present a summary of the concept and the current prototype.