FINALIST 
Category : GENERAL
By Ammo Liao (Taiwan)
My design proposes a balanced way of manufacturing between the biological and technical cycles. This hypothesis is named “bio-knit”, where one material can provide multiple functions through biomimicry. Through textile biomimicry, single materials can provide multiple functions, simultaneously displaying soft, flexible and robust textures.
According to Janine Benyus’ theory of Biomimicry, the whole environment of nature that we live in consists of just a few polymers, such as DNA, RNA, fats, carbohydrates and proteins, and these are referred to being a part of the bio-manufacturing process. This manufacturing process can form a biological cycle, as it is a closed-loop. The natural materials are grown by fully biodegraded materials. Therefore, it is easy to reabsorb into nature.
http://www.ammoliao.com/bio-knit
The first step uses a 3d-knit machine to design the different tension patterns to provide graded functional materials and structures. The second step uses a heating press to melt the textile to make it stronger. Using the basic material properties of thermoplastic, we can not only explore other potential materials, but also enhance the recycling system efficaciously.
Nicolas Lassabe
Nicolas Lassabe
This project shows how to use a single one material in different ways to simplify recycling. I hope to see more projects like this in the future, using digital fabrication, bio-inspired with good design products. This project, for me, has lots of potential and needs to be more developed. I am pretty sure there are applications for robotic to design soft joins and hard bodies with this technique.
