SCS HCII Special Topics:
Morphing Materials: from Programmable to Learning Matter
05-499/899, Section E | 12 units | 2019 Fall, Monday 3pm – 5:50pm | GHC4301 | The course is open to graduate and undergraduate level students across disciplines.
Instructor: Lining Yao | liningy@andrew.cmu.edu
Course Description
Morphing matter is responsive and adaptive material system. It combines interdisciplinary knowledge in material science, advanced fabrication, computational design, design thinking and communication. This course teaches the designing, printing and engineering of morphing matter- the creation of new materials that can change their shapes. The course consists of both design and technical lectures, light weight hands-on lab sessions, and two interdisciplinary team projects. In class, use cases from soft robotics, AR gears, self-assembly food to smart fabrics will be discussed. We will also cover a range of morphing material systems including pneumatic actuation, shape memory thermoplastics, hydrogels and tendon-driven morphing materials.
Learning Objectives
The working mechanisms of morphing matter; general understanding of making techniques of various morphing materials;the design thinking and hands-on design projects with/on morphing materials.
Grading
In-class participation (attendance, Q&A, discussion) 20%; one-time assignment (prepare a 20min literature review presentation in class) 20%; mid-term project (presentation, project concept, execution quality, teamwork spirit) 25%; final project (presentation, project concept, execution quality, teamwork spirit): 35%.
09/09
Natural Morphing Matter - Plants
Lecture: “Natural Morphing Matter – Plants and Microorganisms”
Video Record | Lecture Slides (pdf) | Keynote (request password)
Lecture: “Shape Changing Interfaces: Machine Enabled”
Video Record | Lecture Slides (pdf) | Keynote (request password)
Readings:
"Dynamic Land" by Bret Victor
"The Tree of Knowledge: Biological Prototypes in Design" by Victor Papanek
09/16
Natural Morphing Matter - Animals
Lecture: “Case Study: Living Actuators with Bacteria”
Lecture Slides (pdf) | Keynote (request password)
Reading Group 1 presentation and lead discussion on "Dynamic Land" and "Biological Prototypes in Design"
Readings:
"Soft robotics: a bioinspired evolution in robotics"
"Bio-inspired soft robotics: Material selection, actuation, and design"
09/23
Artificial Morphing Matter – Driven by Air and Water
Lecture: "Pneumatic and hydraulic shape changing materials and design"
Lecture Slides_Part A (pdf) | Lecture Slides_Part B (pdf) | Keynote Part A (request password) | Keynote Part B (request password)
Reading Group 2 presentation and lead discussion on "Bioinspired Soft Robotics".
Readings:
Thermorph: Democratizing 4D Printing of Self-Folding Materials and Interfaces
Programming 2D/3D shape-shifting with hobbyist 3D printers
09/30
Design Strategy with Morphing Matter
Lecture "Shape Changing Interfaces: Material Enabled"
Video Record | Lecture Slides (pdf) | Keynote (request password)
Class vote for project topics for both mid-team and final projects. Grouping information is here.
Reading Group 3 presentation and lead discussion on "4D Printing Shape Memory Polymer".
Readings:
"Living Materials Herald a New Era in Soft Robotics"
"Biological Soft Robotics"
10/07
Artificial Morphing Matter – Plastics
Lecture: "Artificial morphing matter – Shape Memory Thermoplastics"
Video Record | Lecture Slides (pdf) | Keynote (request password)
Reading Group 4 presentation and lead discussion on "Living and Growing Morphing Matter".
Guest Lecture: "Geodesy - Self-rising Non-developable Surfaces"
Mini Lecture: "Mid-Term Project - Morphing Matter as Second Skin" Keynote
Readings:
"Bioinspired microrobots"
10/14
Growing Matter
Lecture: Growing Matter
Video Record | Lecture Slides (pdf) | Keynote (request password)
Reading Group 5 presentation and lead discussion
Readings:
"Designing Collective Behavior in a Termite-Inspired Robot Construction Team"
"Modelling the Collective Building of Complex Architectures in Social Insects with Lattice Swarms"
10/21
Online Critique for Mid-term Project
Check here for your team's time allocation and instruction for the online call.
10/28
Mid-term Presentations
10-15 mins presentations and 5-10 mins Q&A
Reading Group 6 presentation and lead discussion.
Readings:
Swarm Smarts, Bonabeau and Theralauz, Scientific American, 2000.
11/04
Morphing Matter: Swarms as Morphing Matter
Lecture: “Self-organizing systems as morphing matter”
Lecture Slides (pdf) | Keynote (request password)
11/25
Preparing the Final Presentation
Photograph your projects, shooting and documenting, practice your final presentation. The Instructor will be around to help.
The final presentation requirements and uploading links can be found here.
12/02
Final Presentation and Demo
Final Projects: Morphing Materials as Second Skin
In this assignment, students were asked to envision the form and function of a 'second skin', which serves as an interface to mediate between the human body, space, the physical objects and the virtual information. The teaser video below shows examples from students of year 2019.
Final project presentations open to public -> Hosting location TBD