Hye Jun Youn, Serena Xin Wei Sara, Yue Yang, and Hiroshi Ishii. 2026. Rapid Prototyping of Shape-Morphing Fabrics through Parametric Design. In Proceedings of the Twentieth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '26). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 99, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1145/3731459.3779044

Abstract

This studio explores rapid prototyping of shape-morphing fabrics as tangible interfaces by combining parametric modeling tools with accessible 3D printing techniques. Participants will experiment with two textile-based fabrication methods: (1) 3D printing on pre-stretched textiles for programmable morphing, and (2) printing TPU-based modular mesh structures with varying parameters to explore material properties. Through hands-on exercises, participants will investigate how material parameters—such as pattern, scale, thickness, and density—define fundamental rules for shape morphing and enable the creation of responsive, expressive, and multi-stable tangible artifacts. Emphasizing thinking-through-design for desired material behaviors, the studio invites HCI researchers and designers to collaboratively explore and critically reflect on the benefits, limitations, and future integration of shape-morphing interfaces.