FlexTure: Designing Dynamic and Configurable Surface Features

Video

We present FlexTure, a method for creating pop-up kirigami structures with a selectively bonded bilayer. These surfaces enable a new design space for accessible and rapid prototyping of dynamic surfaces. Using a flexible material selectively attached to a stretched substrate, we can create metamaterial surfaces that change texture. The tactile and aesthetic effects of these surfaces can be tuned through the configuration of cuts in the top layer of material, as well as the selection of the layers themselves. We provide a design workflow and accessible methods to achieve target effects and experimentally measure some mechanical properties of the surfaces. Several application concepts are offered along with a computational design tool.