The internal lattice of these structures defines their mechanical properties, rather than their outer shape and composition, and thanks to careful craftsmanship, the input of a poke or a pinch can be translated to any desired output (something tunable) without the intermediary components of latch, bolt, keys, tumblers, hook or crook. Complex machines could potential come no assembly-required as their function is built into their cells and a bit of pressure and release drives the apparatus.
Friday, 16 September 2016
form follows function
Via The Awesomer, we are given an interesting and exciting primer to the potential of metamaterials being explored in the Human-Computer Interaction Labs of the Hasso-Plattner-Institute in Potsdam—really a well-equipped sandbox studio that lets engineers play with advanced three-dimensional printers.
The internal lattice of these structures defines their mechanical properties, rather than their outer shape and composition, and thanks to careful craftsmanship, the input of a poke or a pinch can be translated to any desired output (something tunable) without the intermediary components of latch, bolt, keys, tumblers, hook or crook. Complex machines could potential come no assembly-required as their function is built into their cells and a bit of pressure and release drives the apparatus.
The internal lattice of these structures defines their mechanical properties, rather than their outer shape and composition, and thanks to careful craftsmanship, the input of a poke or a pinch can be translated to any desired output (something tunable) without the intermediary components of latch, bolt, keys, tumblers, hook or crook. Complex machines could potential come no assembly-required as their function is built into their cells and a bit of pressure and release drives the apparatus.