jamSheets: Thin Interfaces with Tunable Stiffness Enabled by Layer Jamming

This works introduces layer jamming as an enabling technology for designing deformable, stiffness-tunable, thin sheet interfaces. Interfaces that exhibit tunable stiffness properties can yield dynamic haptic feedback and shape deformation capabilities. In comparison to the particle jamming, layer ja...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ou, Jifei, Yao, Lining, Tauber, Daniel, Steimle, Jurgen, Niiyama, Ryuma, Ishii, Hiroshi
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/92277
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2791-434X
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9522-7221
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4918-8908
Description
Summary:This works introduces layer jamming as an enabling technology for designing deformable, stiffness-tunable, thin sheet interfaces. Interfaces that exhibit tunable stiffness properties can yield dynamic haptic feedback and shape deformation capabilities. In comparison to the particle jamming, layer jamming allows for constructing thin and lightweight form factors of an interface. We propose five layer structure designs and an approach which composites multiple materials to control the deformability of the interfaces. We also present methods to embed different types of sensing and pneumatic actuation layers on the layer-jamming unit. Through three application prototypes we demonstrate the benefits of using layer jamming in interface design. Finally, we provide a survey of materials that have proven successful for layer jamming.