A material database framework to support the design of shape-changing products

A material database framework to support the design ofshape-changing products Marius Hölter1, Agnese Piselli2,*, Sara Colombo3, Barbara Del Curto2 1 Politecnico di Milano, Design Depart

A material database framework to support the design of

shape-changing products

Marius Hölter1, Agnese Piselli2,*, Sara Colombo3, Barbara Del Curto2

1 Politecnico di Milano, Design Department, Milan, Italy

2 Politecnico di Milano, Chemistry Materials and Chemical Engineering Department “Giulio

Natta”, Making Materials LAB, Milan, Italy

3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT Design Lab, Cambridge, USA

*agnese.piselli@polimi.it

Abstract New classes of smart materials are emerging, revolutionizing the way

we design and interact with products Their dynamic properties are changing our perception and understanding of what a material is in itself (a system), and especially what it is able to do (its performance) The use of smart materials generates new opportunities in the creation of future forms of interaction, pro-moting the concepts of material move, material turn, material lens, and dynamic products This study aims to provide design students and industrial designers with information and inspiration on the topic of Shape-Changing Material Sys-tems (SCMSs) by developing a framework for an explorative database The in-tegrated digital tool, implemented with a set of 25 case studies, fosters the fur-ther development of these materials, and opens up new opportunities of applica-tion in multisensory dynamic products.

Keywords: Shape-changing material systems (SCMSs) · Smart materials ·

Ma-terials database · Human factors · Product design

1 Introduction

The study of materials and their technical, sensorial and manufacturing properties

is an essential element in the education of a product designer [1] Materials and manu-facturing processes are at the core of any physical artefact, and not only do they con-tribute to its function, but they also have aesthetic and emotional values which allow the designer to shape the character of a product [2], [3] Having an up-to-date knowl-edge about advanced materials and manufacturing technologies is of greatest impor-tance for industrial designers to not miss out on new opportunities that might present a solution to their next design problem [4]

In this panorama, new classes of materials are emerging (e.g., smart materials, bio-based materials, DIY materials) [5], revolutionizing the way we design experiences and interact with products [6], [7] Among them, smart materials are recognized more and more as systems, characterized by digital–physical substrates [8], rather than a simple material class [9] Their dynamic properties are changing our perception and understanding about what a material is in itself (a system), and especially what it is able to do (its performance) Materials are becoming something that is ‘alive’, and so will the future products that incorporate them

The use of smart materials generates new opportunities in creating future forms of interaction [10], promoting the concepts of material move [11], material turn [12], material lens [13], and dynamic products [14] Within the research area of smart ma-terial composites and Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs), one type of interaction seems

to be of particular interest for industrial designers: dynamic, physical shape change [15] Shape-Changing Material Systems (SCMSs) are becoming of increasing interest [16], as they have promising product applications Shape-changing material systems (SCMSs) identify a wide range of material concepts as shape-changing composites, dynamic, digital and programmable materials (e.g., programmable carbon-fiber based composite [17]) that are characterized by a shape transformation

2 Problem statement and research aim

Smart materials have the unique ability to respond to stimuli and adapt to the envi-ronment Through their unconventional behavior, they offer novel possibilities for de-signers, especially when it comes to the design of interactions and experiences To take advantage of smart material behaviors, it becomes fundamental to have knowl-edge of their properties (technical, sensorial, etc.) and their current applications [6]

To provide basic knowledge and encourage the use of “traditional” smart materials in product design, informative tools have been developed [6], [14], [18] Despite this, there is still no evidence of a systematic, easily implementable and digital tool to serve this purpose For this reason, the need of guiding designers through a structured smart material selection practice emerged, with the aim to increase the integration of smart material thinking in their design practice

This research presents a new framework of an explorative and implementable data-base on Shape-Changing Material Systems to support design students and industrial designers in developing a deep understanding of what constitutes them (i), their sen-sorial and technical properties (ii) and the enabling technologies and fabrication pro-cesses that can be used to manufacture them (iii) The database represents a digital tool that aims to provide designers with information and inspiration on the topic of SCMSs, fostering the further development of these materials, and opening up new op-portunities for their application in multisensory products

3 Materials and methods

To develop the new database framework, a literature review on the most estab-lished tools for material selection and exploration was conducted Based on their structure, language and approach, five different databases were compared: design-based (Material ConneXion®; MaterialDistrict), engineering-design-based (MatWeb; Mat-Base), and integrated material databases (Granta Design CES EduPack) The Prod-ucts, Materials and Processes Database (PMPDb), developed in 2016 by Figuerola [19], has been analyzed as it represents the first approach towards equally engaging designers and engineers These databases were selected not only to identify the mate-rial properties and parameters that are interesting when choosing matemate-rials, but also to understand how to correlate the transformation phenomena of SCMSs to their techni-cal properties and the constituents that enable the shape-change behavior

Moreover, 40 projects, experiments and concept studies on the field of dynamic shape change in physical products and materials were analyzed This research pro-vided a deep investigation of the technologies and tools used for the fabrication of SCMSs, their application areas, key features and main functional principles

Based on these reviews and on the framework of the most comprehensive commer-cial material database analyzed (CES Selector), a set of properties and parameters was selected to characterize and describe SCMSs

- General Information [Study/Concept name; Year of publication/development;

Research area; Reference source; Development status] is important to get a better understanding of the current SCMS feasibility and status of develop-ment, assessing also potential risks (technical failures, development costs, etc)

- Application [Potential markets; Scale] helps designers to find inspiration in a

specific area of research or application The “Scale” is related to the size of the system as well as the magnitude of shape change that can be achieved

- Material Information [Input Stimulus; Intrinsic Transformation; Material

Composition; Active and Passive Material Units] When working with SCMSs, different types of Input Stimuli (light, temperature/heat, moisture, electric field/ potential, magnetic field, chemical, pressure) can be used for the materials classification [6], [15], [20], [21] Intrinsic Transformation describes the material’s first response to the input stimulus: in material-based soft body transformations, the structural elements function as actuators themselves [22] The physical structure and the active/passive constituents of a system (Material Units) [15] play a key role in enabling the physical shape change of a SCMS

To better explain this concept, Textuators case study (Tab 1, n 23) is based on the use of an electroactive polymer (EAP) mix that was used to coat the passive material units, and requires to be immersed in electrolyte to activate the shape changing behaviour

- Dynamic Effects [Structure; Volume; Geometry; Orientation; Surface Texture;

Softness/Hardness; Flexibility/Stiffness] comprises the different types of

shape-change related outputs that can result from a transformation and that can

be perceived by the user These parameters, linked to sensorial properties, have been derived from literature review and databases analysis [18], [22], [23]

- Performance Properties [Programmability; Directionality; Self-Recovery;

Transformation Speed; Deformation Strength; Power Requirement; Functional Environment] describe the inherent requirements and technical capabilities that characterize SCMSs They are mainly anchored in the results of the literature review and are specific for SCMSs The integration of such properties in the new database represents an original contribution of this research

- Fabrication [Process; Tools and Technology]

- Additional Notes.

4 Results and Discussion

Using the set of parameters described above, the framework of material database has been built Its framework is inspired by the structural setup of the CES EduPack PMPDb: the proposed database is centered on SCMSs Concept data-table linked to four further data-tables, as described in Figure 1

Fig 1 SCMSs database framework and links to the five data-tables

A set of 25 SCMSs case studies (Tab 1), selected among the 40 previously analysed and representative of the variety of behaviors for dynamic shape change in physical objects, was implemented in the database (Fig 2)

Fig 2 SCMS record showing the overview and general information sections

Table 1 List of 25 Shape-Changing Material Systems case studies

De-velopment

1 4DPrinting: Multi-Material

3 Artificial Muscles from Fishing Line Haines et al (2014) Experiment

5 Biomimetic 4D Printing Gladman et al (2017) Experiment

7 Ferromagnetic Soft Materials Kim et al (2018) Experiment

8 Fluid-Driven Origami-Inspired Muscels Li et al (2017) Prototype

10 HygroSkin - Metrosensitive Pavilion Krieg (2014) Prototype

13 Multidirectional Muscles from Nylon Mirvakili & Hunter

14 Multimaterial 4D Printing Ge et al (2016) Experiment

16 Programmable Carbon Fiber Papadopoulou et al.

19 Shutters Coelho & Maes (2009) Prototype

20 Smart Granular Materials Dierichs et al (2017) Experiment

21 Soft Materials for Soft Actuators Miriyev et al (2017) Prototype

5 Conclusion and further developments

The main aim of this work was to develop an integrated and informative tool to educate designers on Shape-Changing Material Systems (SCMSs) properties, provid-ing also their classification The followprovid-ing points illustrate the research main findprovid-ings:

 Literature research on traditional material databases has been performed to guide the new database structure development

 40 case studies have been studied to describe a number of properties and para-meters able to characterize SCMSs

 The framework for a digital SCMSs database consists of five data-tables

 25 SCMSs case studies, representative of various behaviors of dynamic shape change in physical objects, are implemented in the first database prototype Further investigation will be done to:

 Validate the SCMSs database, conducting user tests with a group of design students, design professionals, and material scientists

 Expand the database with other stimuli-responsive materials and systems (e.g., thermoresponsive SCMSs, etc.)

 Implement an open multidisciplinary platform, where experts with different backgrounds contribute in updating on new material advancements

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