Liquid-crystal elastomers—which contain heat-responsive liquid-crystal molecules embedded in a stretchy polymer—could one day be used to make soft robots and biomedical devices. Typically, researchers ...

The shapes programmed into a polymer by materials scientist Rafael Verduzco and graduate student Morgan Barnes appear in ambient conditions and melt away when heat is applied. The process also works ...

New approaches to creating shapes promise to simplify the design work behind the aesthetic surfaces found on consumer products. Pity the poor designers trying to generate eye-popping shapes for ...

Researchers have developed a technique that programs 2D materials to transform into complex 3D shapes. University of Texas at Arlington researchers have developed a technique that programs 2D ...

Scientists have created a liquid crystal elastomer that can be molded into shapes that shift from one to another when heated. The material is intended for biomedical and robotics applications. Rice ...