FibeRobo, a research project led by Media Lab PhD student Jack Forman, won gold in the Textile & Materials / New Technology Fabrics category at the 2023 International Design Awards. The project design team includes Ozgun Kilic Afsar, Sarah Nicita, Rosalie Hsin-Ju Lin, Liu Yang, Akshay Kothakonda, and Professor Hiroshi Ishii from the Tangible Media research group; other collaborators include Cedric Honnet (Responsive Environments group), Neil Gershenfeld (MIT Center for Bits and Atoms), and Megan Hofmann (Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University).

FibeRobo is a novel body-temperature shape-changing fiber based on liquid crystal elastomers. The development of a new fabrication technique and chemical composition of the fiber enables self-reversing morphing at, or optionally slightly above, body temperature. These fibers, once formed into the larger textile structure through knitting, weaving, and sewing techniques, enables a myriad of applications from medical devices (compressions shirts), athletic wear (self-ventilating clothing), to interactive eating experiences (morphing table cloths), and transforming fashion pieces.

The International Design Awards (IDA) recognize and celebrate smart, sustainable, multidisciplinary innovation across architecture, interior, product, graphic, and fashion design worldwide. The Farmani Group founded the IDA as the design sibling of the Annual Lucie Awards for Photography, which has emerged as one of the world’s most prestigious photography awards.