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Spring Wood
Flexible incised solid wood Spring Wood makes use of strategically located cuts to impart solid wood with flexibility. Modern techniques to bend wood, used to create bent plywood furniture, include steaming and lamination. In LaRo Design’s
Transparent Armor
Ultrahard spinel glazing material Spinel, or magnesium aluminate, is a durable ceramic material found in some of the world’s most renowned gemstones—such as rubies in the British and French Crown Jewels. Spinel occurs naturally in both
Colorspaces
Robotically crafted murals Colorspaces are robotically crafted drawing installations devised and fabricated by Berlin-based Sonice Development. An autonomous machine with the capacity to move on vertical surfaces applies paint to a designated area using a marker.
Liquid Crystal Elastomer
Flexible polymer network with liquid crystal ordering Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are shape-responsive materials that can react to stimuli in the environment. These materials are biocompatible and can be used as scaffolds for tissue engineering that
Vermilion Sands
Living canopy system Vermilion Sands is a living ceiling composed of foliated geotextile modules. The system consists of a steel pipe structure and a grid of aircraft cables from which the modules are suspended. Each pyramid-shaped
Porous Glass
Moisture-absorbing plaster inclusion Porous Glass is a flake-based glass material for incorporation in plaster. Made of Vycor glass, which is 95 percent silica, porous glass dramatically enhances plaster’s ability to absorb, store, and release moisture. This
DysCrete
Energy-generating concrete DysCrete is a dye-sensitized energy-generating concrete made by coating prefabricated concrete components with layers of organic dyes held in suspension. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DYSCs) rely on a photoelectrochemical process to convert light into energy.
Nanocellulose Solar Cell
Solar cell made from trees Although artificial solar cells are designed to emulate the natural process of photosynthesis, they could not be more materially different from the plant leaves they mimic. Typically made from silicon, plastic,
Continuous Function
Jute-composite furniture Technology transfer is a potent vehicle for design; it is a productive strategy that involves co-opting the materials or methods from one discipline for another. For example, architects have long held an interest in
PneuSystems
Cellular pneumatic membrane PneuSystems is a modular, air-supported surface designed to function as a lightweight, adaptable architectural skin. Developed by research and design firm RVTR, the project was inspired by membranes in natural organisms as well
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