A closer look
Imagine buying a chair from IKEA that ships as a completely flat sheet of cardboard and magically folds itself into a piece of furniture when you run an electrical current through it. Programmable matter relies on embedded sensory networks and heat-responsive hinges printed directly into everyday materials. By precisely controlling the temperature at specific joints, engineers can dictate exactly how and when a material folds, paving the way for adaptive aerodynamic wings and self-assembling emergency shelters.
