Soft robotics¶

1. Objective¶

This week introduced us to the principles of soft robotics, where movement emerges from the material and structure itself rather than from rigid mechanisms. Through experiments with bio-inspired design, pneumatic actuation and flexible fabrication techniques, we explored how soft structures can bend, adapt and interact with their environment.

2. Inspiration¶

Collage of artists

2.1. inspiring artists and makers¶

When researching artists and makers, I was drawn to work that explores the relationship between materials, movement and the environment. I resonated with projects that made me think about materials not only as something static, but as something that can change, react and create an experience. I was especially inspired by the softness, tactility and almost living quality present in these works, which encouraged me to explore how textiles could also become active structures with their own movements and transformations.

3. Tools¶

4. Process and Workflow¶

4.1. Introduction¶

We started the week with a collective cleaning session, as the lab had become quite chaotic after our Biofabrication week. Once everything was back in order, Stephanie introduced us to making inflatable structures using heat-adhesive vinyl and baking paper.

4.2. Thermo-transfer inflatables¶

She showed us many examples from previous Fabricademy students. While testing them, I found myself particularly drawn to inflatables that twisted when inflated. There was something almost dance-like about their movement and I immediately became curious to explore this further.

4.2.1 First test - little flower¶

Starting simple, my first inflatable was inspired by a flower. I wanted the petals to fold inwards as the structure inflated.

To make it, I drew the flower shape onto two sheets of heat-adhesive vinyl. IMPORTANT: one sheet must be the positive version and the other the negative (mirrored) version. This allows the two sheets to be placed correctly during heat pressing, with the shiny sides facing outwards while the adhesive sides meet on the inside.

4.2.2. First result¶

My first flower-shaped inflatable worked, but not quite as I had imagined. The petals only folded inwards a tiny little bit. Looking at the result, I realised that they probably needed additional air chambers to make the movement larger.

4.2.3. Second trial – a larger shape and a new idea¶

For my second test, I made a larger and more organic shape.

This time, I arranged the air channels rather intuitively instead of following a precise plan. While working on this, I realised that the baking paper pieces could become a kind of modular design system.

Instead of drawing every inflatable from scratch, I could create a collection of reproducible channel elements that could be combined in endless ways.

During pressing, I accidentally left four air outlets instead of one. Rather than seeing it as a mistake, this sparked a new idea: what if one inflatable could connect to several others? I started imagining a small universe of interconnected inflatable structures, with one larger central piece feeding air into multiple surrounding elements.

4.2.4. Third trial – designing a modular system¶

I decided to explore this modular approach further.

I cut several versions of each module from baking paper so they could easily be rearranged. As the vinyl and the baking paper are quite slippery together, I lightly sprayed the vinyl sheet with a fine mist of water. This held the paper pieces in place just enough to make composing much easier.

When placing the pieces, I didn’t follow a plan but rather followed my intuition as the compostion grew in front of my eyes. For one inflatable, I invited my classmates to join the game, asking them to place modules wherever they liked. This turned out to be a fun little moment!

After assembling the sandwich and pressing it, the results were completely unpredictable. Some combinations produced beautiful movements and unexpected forms, while others barely reacted at all.

4.2.5. Thoughts¶

Although the modular system still needs a lot more development, I think the idea has real potential. More than anything, I enjoyed how playful the process became. Instead of designing a fixed outcome, it felt like creating the conditions for surprise. The final inflatable only revealed itself once it was inflated, making each test feel like a small experiment in improvisation.

I can easily imagine this approach in collective creative settings, where people who do not necessarily identify as artists are invited to explore unfamiliar techniques through play and intuition. By letting go of the pressure to create a predetermined result, participants can move beyond their own expectations and discover unexpected possibilities.

Another observation came from my attempt to connect several inflatable elements together. While the main central piece inflated successfully, the attached modules remained almost completely flat. The air did not seem to travel beyond the first inflatable, meaning the connected pieces never had enough pressure to inflate.

This made me realise that creating a network of interconnected inflatables is more complex than simply linking separate elements together. The airflow, pressure distribution and the internal volume all influence how the air moves through the system.

4.3. Textile robotics¶

I soon realised that what interested me most about soft robotics was not simply the use of soft materials, but the possibilities that emerge from softness itself: how materials can bend, respond and transform, creating movement through flexible structures.

However, while handling these synthetic materials, I felt the need to bring the principles of soft robotics back into a material language that feels closer to my own practice: textiles.

I wanted to investigate how textiles could become active structures combining movement, softness and tactility, and also explore how fibres, tension and touch could open my own pathway into soft robotics.

Relating these questions to my personal background in dance, this led me to a central question:
What if I could create textile choreographies?

From this question, I imagined different textile structures activated through networks of strings that could be pulled and released, creating a form of controlled deformation. I started developing a vision of a “breathing” textile tapestry: a surface that would slowly transform, expand and contract, creating the feeling of a living presence within a textile universe.

4.3.1. First trial - stretch and release¶

One of the challenges with textiles is finding a balance between flexibility and memory: after being stretched, moved or distorted, many fabrics do not necessarily return to their original form. Felt seemed like an interesting material choice because its dense structure has a certain ability to hold its shape while still allowing movement and deformation.

Together with Erien, I experimented with different shapes and cut-outs, exploring how they could be interconnected to create a chain reaction when pulled. We were curious about how a simple movement applied in one place could travel through the textile structure and create a larger transformation.

4.3.2. Second trial - curtains up for the shwooshties¶

After experimenting with felt structures, I started thinking about how I could apply this approach to existing textile forms from my own practice. This led me back to my shwooshties. A shwooshti (a name I invented) is a colourful, multi-dimensional crochet element inspired by fractal forms. Through their layered structures and organic shapes, they already carry a sense of growth and movement.

I wondered what would happen if I could “breathe” life into them by creating a hidden mechanism that would allow them to move. Using fishing line connected to a central pulling system, I experimented with how a simple movement could travel through the textile structure and transform its shape.

The result was fascinating: the shwooshties, which were already lively in their static form, became even more expressive when they started moving almost as if by magic. The mechanism itself became almost invisible, leaving the movement of the textile as the main focus.

The next step would be to connect the strings to an automated system capable of winding and releasing the fishing line, allowing the shwooshties to move independently. Ideally, several modules could be connected and programmed with different rhythms and timings, transforming individual movements into a larger textile choreography rather than a simple simultaneous movement.

4.3. Thoughts¶

These textile experiments opened up a different way of looking at soft robotics for me. The felt structures made me think about how textiles can be designed to move, while the shwooshties made me wonder how existing textile forms can be encouraged to reveal the movement already hidden within them. I would love to explore further how textiles can not only be made to move, but can also be given the conditions to move in their own way.

5. Weekly reflection¶

5.1. Learnings¶

This week made me realise that to me, soft robotics is less about creating a machine and more about creating the conditions for movement to emerge. I learned to look at materials not only for what they are, but for what they can do.

The experiments showed me that textiles have their own language of movement, through tension, structure and touch. It also confirmed to me that I find unexpected results often the most interesting ones, as they open new directions that I could not have planned beforehand.

5.2. Questions¶

• How can textile structures be designed to create more complex and autonomous movements?

• How can different textile modules be connected to create larger systems of movement and interaction?

• How could sensors and digital fabrication techniques be integrated to make textile structures respond to their environment?

• How can I move from creating individual movements towards creating textile choreographies?

5.3. If I had another week¶

If I had another week, I would continue exploring two directions.

First, I would keep developping the modular system for my inflatables by designing the different modules more intentionally. In particular, I would focus on the “details” modules, as I feel that they play a crucial role for creating interesting shapes and connections.

Secondly, I would start experimenting with automated pulling systems for my textile robots, exploring how strings, motors and timing could transform individual movements into more complex textile choreographies.