Materials of interaction : responsive materials in the design of transformable interactive surfaces

Materials that embody computational properties are reshaping the ways in which we design, interact and communicate. This thesis looks at the topic of form transformation and how to bring the programmability and versatility of digital forms into the physical world. The focus is placed on the relationship between materials, form and interaction, in particular how the behavior and properties of shape-changing materials can support the design of transformable interactive surfaces. Three design implementations are presented, each addressing a distinct subject area in the design of form transformation, namely topology, texture and permeability. Surflex is a composite that uses active and passive shape-changing materials to undergo large surface deformations. Sprout I/O implements small shape deformations and co-located input/output at a surface boundary to create a dynamic texture for communication. Shutters uses shape change to regulate a surface's permeability and control environmental exchanges between two distinct spaces. Drawing lessons from these projects, a soft mechanical alphabet and language for form transformation are derived, providing new formal possibilities for enriching human-computer interactions.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Coelho, Marcelo

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Pattie Maes.

• Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/46577

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/46577