We like to imagine a future in which Transformers exist, and scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology have certainly achieved an interesting step in this direction. Using special polymers and a 3D printer, they have created a flat sheet that “transforms” itself into a box when exposed to heat, as reported by Futurity.
The researchers used what are known as smart shape-memory polymers (SMPs), which have the ability to hold two shapes: an initial, unheated one, and another following an increase in temperature. Each SMP responds to heat at a different rate, so by applying different kinds of these polymers at special areas throughout one object, the object changed its shape in a controlled sequence until the desired structure formed.
“We have exploited the ability to 3D-print smart polymers and integrate as many as ten different materials precisely into a 3D structure,” added co-author Martin L. Dunn, a professor at Singapore University of Technology and Design.
Swap it like it’s hot
According to the paper in Scientific Reports, the heat required to morph a flat sheet into a box is uniformly distributed by submerging the sheet in water—an advancement from prior experiments.
“Previous efforts to create sequential shape changing components involved placing multiple heaters at specific regions in a component and then controlling the on-and-off time of individual heaters,” explained author Jerry Qi, a professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. “This earlier approach essentially requires controlling the heat applied throughout the component in both space and time and is complicated.”
“We turned this approach around and used a spatially uniform temperature which is easier to apply and then exploited the ability of different materials to internally control their rate of shape change through their molecular design,” he added.
The team demonstrated this approach not only through boxes, but through other designs as well. For example, they were able to get a flat strip to lock into itself by having a key end bend and thread itself through an attached keyhole.
The next frontier
Obviously, the potential applications for this technology are endless. The box the team designed is intended to simulate a postal mailer, but as these SMPs could react to many different kinds of stimuli beyond temperature, like moisture or light, they may someday be found ubiquitously across the world.
The components could be transported in flat sheets, be rolled into shipment tubes, or could even just have a full initial shape that changes at a key time—like in space structures, medical devices, toys, and robots. The team even indicated that the SMPs could find their way into drones, allowing them to change their shape from one suitable for cruising into one better for making a dive.
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Feature Image: Qi Laboratory/Georgia Tech
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