Tangible Media Group

We developed a concept of transformative appetite, where edible 2D films made of common food materials (protein, cellulose or starch) can transform into 3D food during cooking. This transformation process is triggered by water adsorption, and it is strongly compatible with the 'flat packaging' concept for substantially reducing shipping costs and storage space. To develop these transformable foods, we performed material-based design, established a hybrid fabrication strategy, and conducted performance simulation. Users can customize food shape transformations through a pre-defined simulation platform, and then fabricate these designed patterns using additive manufacturing. Three application techniques are provided - 2D-to-3D folding, hydration-induced wrapping, and temperature-induced self-fragmentation, to present the shape, texture, and interaction with food materials. Based on this concept, several dishes were created in the kitchen, to demonstrate the futuristic dining experience through materials-based interaction design.

Credits:
Wen Wang*, Lining Yao*, Chin-Yi Cheng, Teng Zhang, Daniel Levine, Hiroshi Ishii
* Contributed Equally

Designing Substrate Film
We fabricate substrate film that has heterogeneous density distribution, which can cause differential expansion upon hydration. In order to achieve controllable bending behavior, ethyl cellulose strips are introduced as both shape constraints and a water barriers on top of the film. This semi-rigid strip structure could help regulate the binding direction and create dynamic shape changing by modulating the top surface’s water adsorption rate.

Shape Changing Pasta
We developed pasta that can be flatly-packed, and pop into different 3D shapes through a self-folding process upon water hydration.