Programmable materials for architectural assembly and automation

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explain a current implementation of a programmable and computational material, Logic Matter, and to describe potential applications for computational materials and self-guided assembly. Design/methodology/approach -Following an introduction, the paper describes the types of information currently found in architectural construction, then introduces Logic Matter, a building block embodying physical digital logic. Examples of structural optimization and construction scenarios are given, to demonstrate the benefits of programmable and computational physical materials for assembly. Findings -Logic Matter demonstrates a prototype with embedded digital logic and programmability, offering new applications for automated assembly, online material analysis and physical computing. Originality/value -The paper describes the existing types of architectural construction information and proposes a novel application of programmable and computational material for automated assembly.

Material ecologies for synthetic biology: Biomineralization and the state space of design

“…Yet the elements are self-assembled under the logic presented by Wolf et al in that the behavior of the parts has been restricted 'to confine it to a smaller volume of its state space' (7). Specifically, such systems represent programmed self-assembly in that the designer controls both the information contained in the system (in the Griffith example, the ways in which the tiles can joint to one another) and the space of interaction to achieve a desired and pre-designed outcome (for similar, three-dimensional approaches see [23]).…”

4D printing – revolution or fad?

“…Skylar Tibbits who heads the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Self-Assembly Technologies Lab, is well known for research on 4D printing. Their previous work has focused on the geometry and mechanical computation to understand how synthetic substances can become functional and serving as low-level smart materials (Tibbits and Cheung, 2012). This programmable and computational material, Logic Matter, relies on mechanical computation through the geometric constraints of the build block.…”

A Hierarchical Programmable Mechanical Metamaterial Unit Cell Showing Metastable Shape Memory

“…A material derives its characteristics from a collection of matter that upon reaching a certain conglomerate size displays statistically relevant properties if further scaled; matter is thus a building block occupying a hierarchical level higher than even the bistable mechanisms herein. This distinction is significant, as a clear and rigorous difference between programmable matter and materials is necessary. A programmable material can then be defined and distinguished by its response to an external stimulus, switching states due to a fundamental and structurally derived nonlinearity upon reaching a predetermined magnitude of said stimulus ‐ ideally showing some degree of reversibility.…”