SMAs

Clothing Demonstration

Hello all, here are some videos of a projects by Soo-in Yang and David Benjamin, and designer Mariëlle Leenders that I found on Youtube while investigating plastic structures.  These fascinating concepts revolve around shapes changing based on the shifting temperature of the air around it.    It is done through the incorporation of Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) which allow you to link the shape of the metal to a particular temperature state.  It seems as though it is also possible to regulate the shape of one of these wires by the amount of current fed to it.  This would be possible by relating the resistance in the wire to the temperature, and current, allowing for control over the temperature at any given moment.  This type of thinking could have far reaching potential when applied at a larger scale.  Think of a building which responds to its immediate environment, shielding the sun, curling up in the cold, blocking the wind, and on and on. Of course this could also lead to potential instability, as something’s shape relies on the electricity applied to it.  In a blackout, the lights are likely the least of your concerns…