While there are already memory materials that are able to change to a given shape when exposed to certain stimuli, researchers from ETH Zurich have created something a little different. Taking inspiration from the humble pine cone, they’ve developed a process that allows a wider variety of materials to be used, that can in turn attain a wider variety of shapes.
Conducted by a group led by Prof. André Studart, the project began with a review of the manner in which pine cones are able to close their scales when wet, then open them when dry. It turns out that each scale consists of two layers made of the same material. Rigid fibers within those layers are aligned in one direction in one layer, and in another direction in the other.
via Gizmag
Image: Prof. André Studart, ETH Zurich / flickr.com
