Traces of Memory, Footprints of Material

Abstract

Our environment is the key component of our survival on earth and has the most optimal solutions that worked for three and a half billion years. Dr. Janine Benyus, pioneer in the field of Biomimicry has shown that when we emulate nature's designs and processes, we can create a healthier, more sustainable planet. Natural phenomena all around us can be the inspiration for solutions to our current problems. Human body is full of inspirations. One of the most efficient parts of a human's body is their brain. As humans go through time, their brain creates new connections and destructs the unnecessary ones to not misuse the limited resources of the brain. The result of this behavior is making new memories and forgetting the old ones. Research shows that this behavior of the brain which results in forgetfulness is a healthy process and is crucial to brain functionality. This dynamic part of the body changes as it goes through time. Just as humans go through time, so do the materials we create. Designing materials that do not exhaust the limited resources of earth can be inspired by those natural evolutionary processes that have engineered our magnificent brains. Such process creates materials that are responsive, dynamic, and easily return to enrich the cycle of life. This project is inspired by how our mind and body work. As technology advances while being inspired by brain processes in material creation we’re invited to open new doors synthesizing natural processes with current technologies. While we explore the opportunities for more sustainable materials development through additive manufacturing and computational designs, we collaborate with nature to bring these ideas to life. The result of this project showcases a taxonomy of bio-degradable materials that has been designed and created utilizing Rhino-Grasshopper and Robotic Fabrication using UR10 robotic arm. In these material prototypes, the behaviors of sample materials such as shape change, and strength have been studied to explore the opportunities they provide by engineering material properties as well as geometrical features. This study emphasizes on the need to take meaningful actions in creating sustainable materials that do not exhaust the limited resources of earth.