Re:flex
Re:flex is material whose shape can be reprogrammed with heat.
The idea of a living, breathing material world has captured the imagination of people for centuries. Today, many objects are discarded simply because of the need for minor adjustments. Re:flex remembers the form it is made in. You can heat it, deform it into a temporary shape, and cool it down to freeze it in place. When heated again, it returns to its original shape. It has the capacity to freeze in place at room temperature, allowing it to provide rigidity and structure to external elements. This fixation can be reversed easily with the application of heat, and used again for another purpose. To demonstrate the reversible fixation aspect of the material, we developed a prototype for an arm cast that can be easily applied, removed and reused. Instead of discarding a plaster cast after a single use, our arm cast can be removed, disinfected and used again. It has the potential to be used as a thermal actuator within a larger mechanism providing force and motion to other components.