This article was first published in the October 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
This unnamed material is a shape-shifter: it can transform from smooth to bumpy and back in seconds. MIT engineers Mark Guttag and Mary Boyce wanted to create something that mimicked cuttlefish, which can change colour and texture. The goal: a composite whose harder particles are embedded within a flexible polymer matrix. When this is compressed, the hard particles create bumps and ridges -- then disappear. "We used ordinary plastic," says Guttag. "The important thing was figuring out the right difference in stiffness between the matrix and particles."
Applications range from hydraulics to aerodynamics. The material might be tuned to change depending on wind speed to minimise drag, or the bumps could act as switchable canals to guide water. Unlike other adjustable materials, Guttag's invention allows designers to engineer very diverse geometrical features on distinct portions, making for highly customisable surfaces.
The next challenge for the team is devising more intricate designs. "So far, the bumps create only two-dimensional patterns," Guttag says. "Adding a third dimension would be the next major step."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
