Just wanted to have some other peoples opinions on what they thought of future materials. I am currently on my final year of a product design course, and my major project is based on future/ smart materials. Just like your opnions on the materials/technology i am researching. Possible applications how useful they could be etc. These are the main materials i am researching.
www.d3o.com
www.technogel.it
http://www.eleksen.com/
www.peratech.co.uk
thanks rich
i like the different products that you highlighted. i am interested in the process by which you conduct your research in gathering brinking technology. i too am interested in the latest materials, although ones that lean towards being non-toxic. of course if anything is intriguing today its sustainability or “green” design, and it is my presumption that there will be an ever increasing demand by the general public. it has become popularized, which i think is powerful. it opens the door for the acceptance of modern-intelligent design. textiles will be at the forefront, anything light yet strong. there are several good books availble detailing some of these materials. skins will be the more sought after approach to both consumer products and architecture. a good book is “intelligent skins”. base structures will become lighter, stonger, more adjustable, and the “skin” will be what is most modifiable. nature is augmenting many of the innovative products that are available today. so maybe research more of that. again, we go back to “green” design. also don’t forget about incorporating the idea of eolithic design, where materials/objects can be utilized in more than one application. “cradle to cradle” is a notable book in this stream.