Kyungsuk Yum, associate professor of materials science and engineering, and his team have developed a technique that programs 2D materials to transform into complex 3D shapes.

The goal of the work is to create synthetic materials that can mimic how living organisms expand and contract soft tissues and thus achieve complex 3D movements and functions. Programming thin sheets, or 2D materials, to morph into 3D shapes can enable new technologies for soft robotics, deployable systems, and biomimetic manufacturing, which produces synthetic products that mimic biological processes.