Producing and living more sustainably and fairly with active materials
We are surrounded by materials that are active and therefore constantly changing. Nevertheless, we treat them as if they were passive. Take tree bark, for example: because it dries quickly and becomes crumbly, it is now largely a waste product of the timber industry. However, with the right knowledge, bark can be made pliable, strips of it woven together and used to create small rooms or clothing. Could bark not only protect trees from rain, sun and drought in this way, but also us humans? What about other natural materials such as fungi, certain plant fibres or bacterial cellulose?
At the Matters of Activity Cluster of Excellence, researchers from 40 disciplines want to better understand the inner activity of materials in order to develop more sustainable, resilient and fairer concepts and products in the future. To this end, the cluster is investigating traditional cultural techniques such as cutting, weaving and filtering and the associated millennia-old knowledge of how to handle materials.
Collaborationwith design disciplines such as design and architecture
The researchers involved come from the natural sciences and humanities as well as from the design disciplines. A wide range of actors from the open knowledge lab are involved in the cluster, such as the Wei?ensee Kunsthochschule Berlin and the Kunstgewerbemuseum - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
Active materials: new opportunities for architecture, robotics and surgery
Possible fields of application for Matters of Activity's basic research include architecture, soft robotics, the development of new textiles and materials, (digital) filters and surgery - here are some insights into the world of active materials!
Utilising intelligent properties from nature
Architects, designers and material and natural scientists work closely together at the cluster. A central question of their research is how intelligent properties of nature can be utilised, imitated or placed in new contexts in order to develop sustainable and energy-efficient technologies.
One example of this is the Active Curtain, a continuous experimental setup on display in the "After Nature" exhibition at the Humboldt Lab in Berlin. Woven into it are various flexible, interactive and translucent materials made of plant and bacterially generated cellulose that react to the room climate. The material moves, connects, swells or retracts - without any conventional mechanics or external energy. The scale and speed of the activity become visible in projected images and films.
Interweaving the biological and built environment
In the Myko.Plektonik project, woven, expansive structures made of willow branches or plant fibres are colonised with fungal mycelium to create natural architectures made of biomaterials. The material has demonstrably positive effects on the indoor climate and acoustics, and although it has a shorter shelf life than other building materials, it is more biodegradable. Could such rethought materials help to tackle man-made environmental problems?
Digital technologies are essential
People are often unaware of the factors and players other than their own actions that contribute to the success or failure of a project. For example, what role do the spatial situation, the temperature or the scale in which they act play?
Modern digital technologies such as virtual reality, soft robotics and interaction design are essential in many Matters of Activity projects in order to be able to test this. They make it possible to experience things that are otherwise invisible or difficult to access, but which strongly influence processes. For the Stretching Materialities exhibition, for example, researchers developed VR experiences in which users could go to the microscopic level of rock or walk through cloud molecules.
Virtual surgery
In the Digital Surgery Lab at Charité - Universit?tsmedizin Berlin, members of the cluster are testing how surgeons and operating theatre assistants can better plan and perform operations with the help of virtual reality training. Another project aims to prepare patients for their hospital stay with the help of immersive technologies such as virtual reality films and thus reduce possible fears.
Sharing material futures and speculating on possible solutions
Matters of Activity regularly engages in dialogue with society about which materials and objects we could surround ourselves with in the future and is regularly involved in exhibitions in Berlin museums. But the cluster also opens its own doors: interested guests can get to know and try out prototypes from the research projects in the Activarium, the cluster's showroom in Sophienstra?e in Berlin-Mitte.
Experimental science communication
Together with the Science of Intelligence Cluster of Excellence, Matters of Activity runs the CollActive Materials experimental laboratory. It is funded by the Berlin University Alliance and regularly organises co-design workshops. These workshops focus on the question of how we humans want to interact with the world around us and what role active and intelligent materials can play in this.