materiO’

German artist Diana Scherer, who has been producing superb openwork patterns for several years by constraining and manipulating the root part of various growing plants, is now planning, in partnership with TU Delft, to manufacture usable textiles (for fashion, architecture, furniture design etc.) and which would keep these delicate braided or spiral patterns. A textile by definition natural that would grow on its own underground. The constraints are strong, probably not in our cabinets for a few years.

Diana Scherer's website, to see urgently, here

A little taste of the seaside, sea spray and these mountains of invasive algae that litter our beaches (yes I know, I'm breaking the atmosphere a bit, sorry), with this very beautiful exposure about the work of Samuel Tomatis (4 years of research and experimentations) around the possible uses of algae which currently proliferate on the coasts of Brittany as in Guadeloupe (Ulva Lactuca, Vaucheria Velutina, and other Sargassum…). The Alga project aims to transform these invasive, polluting and toxic algae into positive resources for various possible uses (furniture, lighting, tools for horticulture, construction materials, industrial products, food containers, packaging or textiles). Prototypes, material experiments and objects to be discovered at the Pavillon de l'Arsenal, in Paris, until July 18.

More information here

A puffer coat that's lighter than air, it’s mind blowing, doesn't it? Imagined by Italian designer Andrew Kostman, this helium-filled puffer coat (gas lighter than air) won't let you float in the air, but can be carried like a balloon if you get too hot. And once you get home, no need to try to hang it on a coat rack, it will invariably goes to the ceiling, much like a piece of art by Koons.
Two caveats all the same: on the one hand, helium is a gas that is very abundant in the universe, but which is becoming very rare on Earth. Is it reasonable to use it to impress the onlooker?
In addition, the Helium-10000 flying jacket will also greatly lighten your wallet, because you will have to pay $ 10,000 to receive one, with its two helium capsules, in one of the 7 metallic colors available.

If you are tempted, it's here

Complex elastic lattice structures are on the rise. In nature, many living organisms (plants and animals) use these scaffolding constructions to cushion, protect, consolidate, distribute forces and lighten. Recent 3D printing technologies now make it possible to produce different objects based on this principle. A German study shows that we can thus reduce the amount of material required by almost 60%, reduce production time by 50%, while preserving the same characteristics of the finished object. Our protective helmets will therefore be much lighter and more efficient tomorrow.

The article here

Food scraps recycled in materials harder than concrete, and nevertheless edible! 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted worldwide every year. Seeking to re-use this waste, researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science of Tokyo mixed cabbage leaves, orange, onion, pumpkin and banana peels with seaweed, vacuum-dried and then pulverized them. The powders were then mixed with water and seasonings, then pressed in a mold at high temperature.  After baking, we get small cookies that are still edible, but also stronger than concrete! The story doesn't tell how we can eat them without breaking our teeth, but it's up to you to imagine what use could be considered…

The article here

MIT researchers have just created the first fiber with digital capabilities! Until now, the fiber used for "smart textiles" only carried information between different sensors and receivers, but now it produces it! Thanks to hundreds of square silicon microscale digital chips integrated into the polymer fiber, the textile designed with this "e-thread" is able to detect, store, analyze data and deduce an activity after being integrated into a garment. The fiber itself is thin and flexible and can be passed through a needle, sewn into fabrics, and washed (at least 10 times so far) without breaking down. To be continued...

MIT article here

Déjà plusieurs années que nous vous parlons de la société Rayform, pour une innovation aussi pointue, magistrale que poétique. Cette startup issue de l’EPFL sculpte littéralement la lumière, soit en reflexion sur une plaque de métal, soit en diffusion au travers d’une matière transparente. Rayform lance aujourd’hui une gamme de bijoux qui exploitent directement cette technologie impressionnante. Invisible au premier coup d’oeil, la singularité des bijoux en or et diamants se révèle une fois qu’ils sont exposés à la lumière, car la surface de chaque bague semble lisse mais elle est en fait structurée avec grande précision de façon à refléter les rayons lumineux pour former un message de lumière.
Les messages sont au choix, et les modèles de bagues sont ici

After the blackest black, the most electric phosphorescent, the most glamorous reflector, here is white whiter than white!
Researchers at Purdue University have developed an "ultra-white" paint that reflects 98.1% of sunlight and deflects infrared heat, allowing buildings to cool below the air temperature ambient! This feat is quite exceptional, the best white paints on the market (with titanium dioxide) arrive at just 85%, and showing little effectiveness in the short (UV) and long (infrared) lengths. A reflection of 98% with a wide spectral diffusion, this translates into less degrees in the building, the limitation of heat islands in the cities, and therefore very substantial energy savings. This new ultra-white paint owes its excellent performance to a careful mixing of particles of barium sulfate, a chemical compound used in white photographic paper and cosmetics. So this is the coolest paint in the world, but what is less (cool) is that your white shirt will then look a little "dirty gray" in front of this facade ...

The article, here