3D-Printed Cells for Creating Variable Softness

We present a method for 3D printing objects with variable softness inspired by mechanical metamaterials. These printed cellular structures can provide users with varying experiences of compliance across different scales through changes in their parametrized cell geometries. With our approach and tool, we want to enable designers and makers to rapidly prototype objects with variable softness as a base for diverse applications. The hereby generated structures are adaptable for fabrication on both high-end and commodity 3D printers. Four participants engaged in hands-on exploration with such 3D printed samples, providing initial data on how cell-parameters might affect the subjective/qualitative experience of compliance. In future research, we will systematically investigate such relationships to better understand how these structures can be designed to achieve desired perceived properties.

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