Upscaling Passively Actuated Responsive Material Systems

UPSCALING PASSIVELY ACTUATED RESPONSIVE MATERIAL SYSTEMS THROUGH SPEED BOOSTS AND AMPLIFICATION MECHANISMS

This project is part of BioBuild, a DFG-funded Research Training Group connecting livMatS at the University of Freiburg and the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC at the University of Stuttgart. It brings together researchers across biology, materials science, architecture, and engineering to develop building components that adapt to environmental conditions with less embodied and operational energy than existing systems. This research investigates strategies for upscaling 4D printing of responsive mechanisms through hybrid robotic manufacturing processes that integrate moisture-responsive materials across multiple scales.

Advances in additive manufacturing and computational design have enabled programmed responses to environmental stimuli. A central challenge is that passively actuated motion is limited by the time required for moisture distribution within the material (also known as the poroelastic time scale), making viable response speeds difficult to achieve at the architectural scale. The project draws on fast-moving carnivorous plants, the Venus flytrap and the waterwheel plant. By identifying principles of rapid actuation and examining how the speed and motion are enhanced through material, structure, and geometric design, this research aims to integrate distinct biological strategies into novel bioinspired material systems. ICD’s work packages will focus on developing computational design methods and non-planar robotic fabrication processes that translate biological speed-boost principles into large-scale robotic extrusion to widen the design and manufacturing space of passively actuated responsive building components.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Prof. Achim Menges
Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart

RESEARCHERS
Ruxin Xie (ICD)
Ekin Sila Sahin (ICD)

PARTNER
livMatS at the University of Freiburg

FUNDING
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Graduiertenkolleg (Research Training Group) – GRK 3123:  BioBuild – Bio-inspired Materials and Systems for Responsive Building Components