#smorph

*"Smorph."  A good neologism is half the battle.

Published on Jun 23, 2014

In the lab, the morphable surface developed by the team can have its surface texture changed at will simply by changing the pressure inside, using a pump. When the inside reassure is reduced, the flexible material shrinks, but the outer layer, being stiffer, gets wrinkled as it shrinks, just like a plum drying in the sun to become a prune. Unlike a prune, the material can immediately bounce back to a smooth state when the pressure increases, providing a fully controllable surface texture.