Adaptive Materials and The Role of Design[ers] (Research[ers]) in Shaping Transformative Futures

Fonseca Braga, Mariana and Blaney, Adam and Ozkan, Dilan and Pelit, Emel and Hardy, John (2023) Adaptive Materials and The Role of Design[ers] (Research[ers]) in Shaping Transformative Futures. In: International Conference 2023 of the Design Research Society Special Interest Group on Experiential Knowledge (EKSIG) : From Abstractness to Concreteness: Experiential Knowledge and the Role of Prototypes in Design Research. Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy, pp. 541-558. ISBN 9788894167436

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Abstract

Imagine if our structures (buildings, cities) or objects (medical prosthetics, clothes) could be grown, self-healed and have multiple properties (shape, textures, composition etc) tuned or adapted to meet fluctuating demands. This could significantly enhance how designs can be made increasingly bespoke, reduce associated waste (financial, pollution, resources) and could begin to enable materials to be shared or flexibly utilised. The research presented in this paper aims to develop multi-adaptive materials/structures and discusses the considerable role design research can play in this developing area of research. We present our pilot project, which aims to develop adaptive material samples for medical prosthetics applications. The project involved two main research activities, material prototyping and collaborative industry workshops. We focus on the workshop findings and present a framework for determining interrelationships between material properties, responses, user demands and implications as this is key to understanding how to develop transformative material systems and how to determine what constitutes as desirable material responses/associations. From this we then reflect on our research to date to open up key questions on the role design[ers] and design research[ers] play in maximising the potential of adaptive materials and aspirations within this field.