Incorporation of Shape Memory Polymers in Interactive Design

(Short paper)

Keywords: smart materials, shape memory polymer, interactive artwork, interdisciplinary collaboration.

This paper seeks to explore the question of how to incorporate smart materials into a design to aesthetically demonstrate science and engineering concepts in an interactive way. This work introduces the development of interactive artworks using a shape memory polymer (SMP) material that changes shape based on an external thermal stimulus. In this paper we explore how interdisciplinary work between engineering and science is needed to create an artwork that mimics natural phenomena around us. This paper discusses fabrication and electronic implementation challenges associated with utilizing the shape memory properties of the material. Specifically, the paper explores some ways to obtain different geometric shapes of the SMP and to utilize different sources of thermal stimulus to create a shape memory effect (SME) in artworks.