Soft Robotics - Week 8 (03/14/2025)

Material Explorations

This week's visit to Material Connexions was a fruitful review of sustainable materials and processes being developed for a healthier and more cyclical future.

While most materials showcased here were hard building and packaging materials, I was still able to find some things to inspire my soft robotics explorations, especially my embroidery and fiber work.

Material Connexions

Automatically processed smart textile keyboard
How does it relate to your Soft Engineering interests?
When registering for this class, I was inspired by the interactive and dynamic potential with embroidery 

Distributors - Where can you buy it?
The company sells embroidery machines that can be automated, but worth looking into for the up and coming technologies in the world.

Contact listed on the website:
ZSK Stickmaschinen GmbH
990 Industry Drive, Tukwila, Washington 98188
www.technical-embroidery.com
1 717.706.7702
[email protected]

Technical Manager Technical Embroidery Application
Topher Anderson
1 717.706.7702
[email protected]

Soft In The Wild

RFID tags in clothing

​The image on the right is from a Uniqlo tag I saw in store, though this could be further "softened" by including the RFID tag on the care instruction labels. This is being done by many companies now, but was also featured at material connexions as Trimco Group is creating these labels with recycled materials.

Pool noodles!
​
Pool noodles could be an interesting material to work with as they are lightweight and made with foam. Since they are often made with porous foam, they can be incredibly buoyant which lends to floatation and ease for moving around. This product and  be used for armature structure, or even a floating transportation channel?

Mounting Putty

Mounting putty is an alternative to traditional tapes, push pins, and fasteners for hanging light weight items. This material is workable once warmed up with fingers and shape to desired size/form. The material is also somehow able to adhere to different surfaces and objects (up to 2 pounds)

Wire Mesh

​While metal is a rigid solid material, when woven with a lot of space between the strands it presents flexibility through compressive elasticity and tensile elasticity.

Rattan Caning

​Rattan caning is like seeing the fibrous strands of steel that make up the wire mesh. Once the caning is woven together it creates a solid surface that still has some give and flexibility.

Lip Balm Applicator

​​My (tinted) lip balm has a soft silicone like applicator. I don't believe it serves any special function that a firm applicator could, but there must be interest in the market nowadays for "soft experiences". 

Sashiko Thread (vs other conductive threads)

Fibers are soft. Sashiko thread, unlike embroidery thread, is not meant to be divided or pulled apart so purchasing at the right gauge is very important. Sashiko thread is made of cotton and is considered an insulator. Would be interesting to embroider with this thread and conductive thread to create circuitry pathways.

Cabbage

Okay, stay with me here. Cabbage has a normally solid/hard materiality to it, but when you boil it, it becomes soft. It would be really interesting to see what materials change material properties under heat.

Squash Ball

squash balls are made of rubber and soften throughout play time as the heat is generated from hitting between a wall and a racket. The hotter the material gets, the softer it becomes, and the bouncier the ball gets, leading to less energy expense per swing. Another object that changes performance and textural materiality with heat

Paper Packing Material

This is molded paper bubble cushioning material for packing boxes. This material is comparable to 3/16" plastic bubble wrap, and is H2R Curbside Recyclable Certified, which just means this material does not require special recycling processes and can be stored with other recyclable materials for your regular curbside pick-up