Programmable Matter: Transformers and Origami

Abstract

The popular “Transformers” movie franchise is based on the science fiction premise that there exists sentient machine that can transform themselves arbitrarily. But does this premise have to be science fiction? Could we actually construct mechanical systems that could universally reconfigure themselves into arbitrary other mechanical systems? Computers have become ubiquitous because they are universal: computers can be reprogrammed to perform novel tasks not imagined by the people who built them. If physical structures could be similarly reprogrammed, we could eliminate waste: devices that were no longer needed could be transformed and re-purposed for new, even unimagined tasks. Instead of buying a new phone every year, imagine you could download a hardware update to reconfigure the atoms in your existing phone into the newest model. While we are far from achieving this goal, there is currently active research in making this fiction a reality. In this talk I will discuss how the ancient Japanese art of origami has inspired promising work in this direction.

About the Speaker

Dr. Jason Ku is a Lecturer of algorithms and computation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Ku is also a classically trained Mechanical Engineer, receiving Bachelor’s (’09), Master’s (’11), and Doctoral (’16) degrees in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, also at MIT. Ku’s research straddles both mechanical and computational domains, harnessing computation to analyze, design, and build general transformable mechanical systems that can be reprogrammed to address varied applications.

(Admission is free. All are welcome to attend.)