“Illusory Material” (Optical Textiles), the inaugural 3D printed composite & design methodology, melds optical lenses with colored resins for dynamic versatility. Akin to a digital dream made tangible, it transcends the limitations of traditional manufacturing. This transformative fabric ushers in a new age of electronic-free, interactive CMF, offering a unique sensory experience in the future of product design.

Envision creating everyday products with 'impossible' digital-only materials; a future where designers can alter material color, texture, and refractivity over time and from different perspectives; where color creation relies not on chemical paints, but on 3D printed optical lenses and color blocks; where physical materials can inherently display dynamically; and an invisible yet informative object, or a hard object that feels soft.

This design framework couples 3D printed composites with optical lenses and colored resins, offering a dynamic interaction without the need for electronics. Think of it as bringing a digital dream into palpable reality. It breaks free from the shackles of traditional manufacturing, inviting designers to manipulate material at the voxel level with the aid of 3D printing. This allows us to shape a future of product design that's playful, customizable, and energy-efficient, all while providing a unique sensory encounter.

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Our artistic foundation rests on the exploration of "virtual intimacy in the physical reality," a fascinating intersection between the digital and physical worlds. We want to understand the profound shifts in perceived realism stemming from our increasingly tech-infused lives. At the crux of our work is computational modeling and simulation, the tools we employ to craft a fine balance between beauty and functionality, all the while underpinned by rigorous scientific principles. Rather than following the prevailing trend of immersing fully into digital design and mixed reality, we choose to scrutinize how digital tools and information reshape our tangible experiences.

Illusory Material is a design methodology and computational workflow that breaks down the design medium into 'matter', restructuring and reinventing materiality to create unique expressions, forms, properties, and experiences.

Applications