Revolutionizing Interaction: The Venous Materials Project

Designing Dynamic Tangible Interactions with Fluidic Interfaces

The Venous Materials project draws its inspiration from the ubiquitous venous structures found throughout nature and within the human body. These structures, capable of changing colors, serve as indicators of internal and external physical conditions. For instance, the color change in leaf veins signals the internal condition of the leaf and the change of seasons. This concept has been ingeniously applied to create an interactive sensor and display system.

The unique properties of the Venous Materials project lie in its technology, developed through extensive research on Microfluidics. This technology is designed specifically for human interaction and user experience. A specialized computational tool was developed for the design process, allowing for the simulation and visualization of color change and fluid flow within the material, based on user input. The production process involves laser engraving and manual lab processes, using materials like PDMS silicone and ecoline ink.

The realization of this design was made possible through the latest research in Microfluidics technology. The design and production process was facilitated by a specialized computational design and simulation tool. This tool enables the simulation and visualization of the color change and fluid flow within the material, based on physical user input. The production process involves laser engraving and lab processes, using PDMS silicone and ecoline ink.

The prototypes of Venous Materials range in size from 5cmX5cm to 15x15cm. These samples can be assembled together to form a larger sheet. The design tags associated with this project include Interaction Design, Material research, Dynamic Graphics, Microfluidics, Computational Aided Design, Sensors and Displays, and Venous Structures.

The interaction with Venous Materials is achieved by deforming or applying pressure on the material, which drives the fluid flow within the internal channels to visualize the dynamic responsive display. This makes Venous Materials function simultaneously as a sensor and display of tangible information. The project was carried out from June 2019 to April 2020 in Cambridge, MA, at the MIT Media Lab, Tangible Media group.

The Venous Materials project has overcome several creative, technical, and research challenges. While current computer chips and electronics usually require rigid and bulky components that challenge integration with varied objects or fabrics, Venous Materials is a soft and self-contained mechanism that utilizes the motion of daily activities as its energy source. The design of micro-fluid dynamics is not an intuitive task, but the approach and computational tool developed by the team allows the design, simulation, and prototyping of fluidic interactive sensors that can be embedded in, or attached to, any object.

The Venous Materials project envisions a new way to design dynamic tangible interactions using fluidic interfaces. It is a new type of interactive material that is inspired by veins systems in nature and the human body. When the user applies pressure or motion to the material, it dynamically displays geometric patterns and colors. The different patterns function as tangible sensors that can animate dynamic graphics, create responsive objects for learning activities, and visualize body movement and balance.

The Venous Materials project was awarded the Silver A' Design Quality and Innovation Award in 2021. This prestigious award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.