BIO-INSPIRED PASSIVELY ACTUATED RESPONSIVE SKIN
Responsive design is transformed through innovative materials and advanced fabrication techniques like 3D printing. The approach proposed in this paper enables the creation of self-shaping surfaces that react to environmental stimuli without the need for extensive energy or complex hardware, typical in kinetic architecture. This paper presents a novel method that combines the advantages of additive manufacturing with insights from the biomechanics and architecture of heart tissues to achieve passive actuation in 3D printed structures. A design process emerges by analyzing the components of cardiac muscle, which enable heart tissue contraction, alongside innovative 3D printing techniques for materials with varying properties. This process allows the conception of responsive skins that react to changes in humidity and temperature in the environment through heterogeneous and multi-oriented deformation. This methodology represents a leap forward in bioinspired, programmable materials, offering new possibilities for passively actuated responsive surfaces.