in collaboration with
the Center for Art Science &
Technology(CAST), MIT
the Department of
Architecture, MIT
the International Design
Center(IDC), MIT
Autodesk Inc.
Steelcase Inc.
in collaboration with
the Center for Art Science &
Technology(CAST), MIT
the Department of
Architecture, MIT
the International Design
Center(IDC), MIT
Autodesk Inc.
Steelcase Inc.
In recent decades, developments in software and hardware technologies have created dramatic shifts in design, manufacturing and research. Software technologies have facilitated automated process and new solutions for complex problems. Computation has also become a platform for creativity through generative art and design. New hardware platforms and digital fabrication technologies have similarly transformed manufacturing, offering more efficient production and mass customization. Such advances have helped catalyzed the maker-movement, democratizing design and maker culture. This influx of new capabilities to design, compute and fabricate like never before, has sparked a renewed interest in material performance.
We are now witnessing significant advances in active matter, 3D/4D Printing, materials science, synthetic biology, DNA nanotechnology and soft robotics, which have led to the convergence of software, hardware and material technologies and the growing field of programmable materials.
This conference is about the emerging field of active matter and programmable materials that bridges the worlds of art, science, engineering and design, demonstrating new perspectives for computation, transformation and dynamic material applications.
If over the past few decades we have experienced a software revolution, and more recently, a hardware revolution, this conference aims to discuss the premises, challenges and innovations brought by today’s materials revolution. We can now sense, compute, and actuate with materials alone, just as we could with software and hardware platforms previously. How does this shift influence materials research, and how does it shape the future of design, arts, and industrial applications? What tools and design processes do we need to advance, augment and invent new materials today? What are the key roles that industry, government, academic and public institutions can play in catalyzing the field of programmable materials?
This two-day conference will consist of a range of talks and lively discussion from leading researchers in materials science, art & design, synthetic biology and soft-robotics along with leaders from government, public institutions and industry.
Conference Chairs
Skylar Tibbits &
Athina Papadopoulou
— Self-Assembly Lab, MIT
Conference Committee
Leila Kinney, Meg Rotzel &
Katherine Higgins
— Center for Art, Science & Technology, MIT (CAST)
Irina Chernyakova
— Department of Architecture, MIT
Tom Wujec &
Gordon Kurtenbach
— Autodesk Inc.
Ed Vander Bilt &
Paul Noll
— Steelcase Inc.
The Active Matter Summit is funded in part by the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST) through the generosity of Ronald A. Kurtz '54, in recognition of the exemplary career of Merton C. Flemings, Toyota Professor Emeritus and founding director of the Materials Processing Center at MIT.
20 Ames Street MIT Building E15
Atrium level, Cambridge,
Massachusetts 02139
Friday April 24th —
Saturday April 25th
2015
20 Ames Street MIT Building E15
Atrium level, Cambridge,
Massachusetts 02139
Friday April 24th —
Saturday April 25th
2015
Achim Menges
University of Stuttgart
Alfredo Alexander-Katz
MIT
Arthur Olson
The Scripps Research Institute
Athina Papadopoulou
MIT, Organiser
Chris Lasch
Aranda/Lasch
Christophe Cros
Airbus
Christophe Guberan
Product Designer
John Romanishin /
Daniela Rus
MIT
David Benjamin
The Living
Erik Demaine
MIT
Fiorenzo Omenetto
Tufts University
Heinrich Jaeger
University of Chicago
Jennifer Lewis
Harvard University
Jenny Sabin
Cornell University
John Main
DARPA
Junus Khan
Carbitex
Jessica Rosenkrantz &
Jesse Louis-Rosenberg
Nervous System
Leila Kinney
MIT, Organiser
Lodovica Illari
MIT
Marcelo Coelho
Marcelo Coelho Studio
Markus Buehler
MIT
Merton C. Flemings
MIT
Neil Gershenfeld
MIT
Neri Oxman
MIT
Paola Antonelli
MoMA
Paul Kassabian
SGH & MIT
Paul McEuen
Cornell University
Pedro Reis
MIT
Peko Hosoi
MIT
Peng Yin
Harvard University
Philip S. Khoury
MIT
Rob MacCurdy /
Hod Lipson
Cornell University
Rob Wood
Harvard University
Simon Kim &
Mariana Ibanez
University of Pennsylvania &
Harvard University
Sheila Kennedy
MIT
Skylar Tibbits
MIT, Organiser
Suzanne Lee
BioCouture
Tal Danino
MIT
Toms Saraceno
Artist
Ying Liu /
Michael Dickey
NC State University
Registration & Breakfast
Introduction
Neil Gershenfeld, MIT
Peko Hosoi, MIT
Jennifer Lewis, Harvard University
Rob Wood, Harvard University
Markus Buehler, MIT
Neri Oxman, MIT
Q&A / Panel Discussion
Break
Peng Yin, Harvard University
Fiorenzo Omenetto, Tufts University
Tal Danino, MIT
David Benjamin, The Living
Suzanne Lee, BioCouture
Paola Antonelli, MoMA
Q&A / Panel Discussion
Coffee Break
Paul McEuen, Cornell University
Pedro Reis, MIT
Ying Liu / Michael Dickey, NC State University
Junus Khan, Carbitex
Christophe Cros, Airbus
Christophe Guberan, Product Designer
Q&A / Panel Discussion
Merton C. Flemings, MIT
in discussion with
Philip S. Khoury, MIT
Q&A / Closing Comments
Registration & Breakfast
Introduction
Skylar Tibbits, MIT
Arthur Olson, The Scripps Research Institute
John Main, DARPA
Heinrich Jaeger, University of Chicago
Alfredo Alexander-Katz, MIT
Lodovica Illari, MIT
Q&A / Panel Discussion
Break
John Romanishin / Daniela Rus, MIT
Rob MacCurdy / Hod Lipson, Cornell University
Erik Demaine, MIT
Simon Kim & Mariana Ibanez,
University of Pennsylvania & Harvard University
Paul Kassabian, SGH & MIT
Marcelo Coelho, Marcelo Coelho Studio
Q&A / Panel Discussion
Coffee Break
Achim Menges, University of Stuttgart
Chris Lasch, Aranda/Lasch
Jenny Sabin, Cornell University
Jessica Rosenkrantz &
Jesse Louis-Rosenberg, Nervous System
Sheila Kennedy, MIT
Tomás Saraceno, Artist
Q&A / Panel Discussion
Closing Comments