changeable-texture3D printing technology has certainly come a long way since its early days, and it is nice to see progress happening in the right direction. The creation of surfaces is not too difficult – in fact, it is rather simply to churn out smooth ones, or those that are bumpy. How about a “hybrid” surface? It seems to be very possible now thanks to researchers over at MIT who have successfully come up with one that can be both – depending on how you like it.

This 3D-printed surface which was developed, depending on the situation, can be either smooth, bumpy, ridged, or channeled, and even better yet is its ability to dynamically change texture thanks to the application of pressure. Is there any practical application in such a surface? Well, mutable surface textures are useful when it comes to preventing unwanted animals from growing on ship hulls, or perhaps to channel microscale amounts of fluids, or to use it in the camouflage creation process, as well as optics. Even more important, surfaces that are created by the MIT team happen to be produced using a 3D printer, which means it will be all the more easier to be creative with this particular technique. [Press Release]

Filed in General. Read more about . Source: wired

Discover more from Ubergizmo

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading