Tessa Petrusa – Responsive Tactility: 4D Printed Skins

Tessa Petrusa – Responsive Tactility: 4D Printed Skins
KABK Royal Academy of Art, The Hague

As technology is entering the most intimate parts of our lives, it becomes more and more relevant to reconsider the way it looks and feels. The surfaces of technological applications can be softer, more responsive, and more organic. We often need to physically interact with technology: why not make that experience an exciting sensory one? Responsive Tactility: 4D Printed Skins are surfaces consisting of integrally printed patterns of ‘skeletons’, ‘muscles’, and ‘joints’ on stretched fabric. When the tension of the fabric is removed after printing, the surface folds itself into shape: 4D printing. The form and details of the surfaces change when touched, offering a soft, tactile response to human interaction.