This project was developed on the Masters Programme of the Interactive Architecture Lab @ University College London http://interactivearchitecture.org/dfpi

The domain of soft robotics is forming as a new frontier of kinetic designing. Not only creating many new possibilities for robotics but also in architecture. Challenging conventional design thinking about adaptive architecture the experiments outlined in this research suggest approaches to building soft responsive architecture.

“Furl” combines Electroencephalography (EEG) with advances in soft silicone casting of “air muscles”. The introduction of soft robotics replaces the mechanical principles in interactive architecture through a biological paradigm. EEG allows sensing of human brain functioning so that our environments begin moving and responding to our very thoughts. The designed components have a wide palette of deformation patterns of inflation. Through combination of soft and hard architectural elements, “Furl” creates a new platform for a kinetic responsive architecture which can let space interact with users needs and adapt itself to environmental conditions.

Principle Researchers: Francois Mangion & Bijing Zhang
Supervisors: Ruairi Glynn and Dr Christopher Leung with William Bondin

Interactive Architecture Lab
The Interactive Architecture Lab is a multi-disciplinary research group and Masters Programme at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.  Interested in the Behaviour and Interaction of Things, Environments and their Inhabitants, their focus includes Kinetic Design and Robotics, Multi-Sensory Interfaces, the Internet of Things and the design of public interactive installations. 

www.interactivearchitecture.org

Furl: Soft Pneumatic Pavilion

[Furl: Soft Pneumatic Pavilion](http://vimeo.com/107719937) from [Interactive Architecture Lab](http://vimeo.com/ialab) on [Vimeo](https://vimeo.com). _All Images [via](http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/furl-soft-pneumatic-pavilion.html) _

Not all robots are born equal&#x2014;in fact, the [humanoids Damon Albarn played songs for](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/damon-albarn-solo-concert-for-androids), and the [bipeds that do backflips](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/one-small-step-for-man-one-giant-backflip-for-robotics) are only a cross-section of the growing robot population.

_Furl_ is a model of a kinetic interactive pavilion crafted from soft robotics. Imagined by researchers Bijing Zhang and Francois Mangion at The Interactive Architecture Lab, a masters program of the Bartlett School of Architecture in London, these flexible robotic appendages made from silicone "air muscles" can inflate, twist, and curl in response to brainwaves. "Through \[a\] combination of soft and hard architectural elements, _Furl_ creates a new platform for a kinetic responsive architecture which can let space interact with users needs and adapt itself to environmental conditions," explains the video description.

Dive into the making-of video, check out close ups of the "air muscle" and mockup for the pavilion:

This project was developed on the Masters Programme of the Interactive Architecture Lab @ University College London http://interactivearchitecture.org/dfpi

The domain of soft robotics is forming as a new frontier of kinetic designing. Not only creating many new possibilities for robotics but also in architecture. Challenging conventional design thinking about adaptive architecture the experiments outlined in this research suggest approaches to building soft responsive architecture.
“Furl” combines Electroencephalography (EEG) with advances in soft silicone casting of “air muscles”. The introduction of soft robotics replaces the mechanical principles in interactive architecture through a biological paradigm. EEG allows sensing of human brain functioning so that our environments begin moving and responding to our very thoughts. The designed components have a wide palette of deformation patterns of inflation. Through combination of soft and hard architectural elements, “Furl” creates a new platform for a kinetic responsive architecture which can let space interact with users needs and adapt itself to environmental conditions.

Principle Researchers: Francois Mangion & Bijing Zhang
Supervisors: Ruairi Glynn and Dr Christopher Leung with William Bondin

Interactive Architecture Lab
The Interactive Architecture Lab is a multi-disciplinary research group and Masters Programme at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Interested in the Behaviour and Interaction of Things, Environments and their Inhabitants, their focus includes Kinetic Design and Robotics, Multi-Sensory Interfaces, the Internet of Things and the design of public interactive installations.

www.interactivearchitecture.org

The Making of Furl: Soft Pneumatic Pavilion

[The Making of Furl: Soft Pneumatic Pavilion](http://vimeo.com/107755316) from [Interactive Architecture Lab](http://vimeo.com/ialab) on [Vimeo](https://vimeo.com).

h/t [Interactive Architecture](http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/furl-soft-pneumatic-pavilion.html)

_[Phototropia Is A Step Towards "Living" Architecture](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/iphototropiai-is-a-step-towards-living-architecture)_

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_[Building Morphs Into Laser-Light Spectacular At Nightfall](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/building-in-france-morphs-into-laser-light-spectacular-at-nightfall)_

creators

Design

From researchers Bijing Zhang and Francois Mangion, 'Furl' is a model of a kinetic pavilion that changes shape according to brainwaves.

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

This Futuristic Tentacle Pavilion Morphs With Your Thoughts

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

This Futuristic Tentacle Pavilion Morphs With Your Thoughts

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