Design of plant-inspired shape-changing interfaces: a review

Abstract

Shape-changing interfaces use physical changes of shape as input or output to convey information, and interact with users. Plants are natural shape-changing interfaces, expert in adjusting their shape or modality to adapt to the environment. In this paper, plant-derived natural shape-changing phenomena are systematically analyzed. Then, several corresponding plant-inspired design strategies for shape-changing interfaces are summarized with recent advancements including material selections and syntheses, fabrication methods, and actuating mechanisms. Practical applications across diverse domains aim to prove the advantages and potential of plant-inspired shape-changing interfaces in agriculture, healthcare, architecture, robotics, etc. Furthermore, the opportunities and challenges are also discussed, such as design thinking in interdisciplinary tasks, dynamic behavior and control principles, novel materials and processes, application scenario and functionality matching, and large-scale application requirements. This paper is expected to inspire in-depth research on plant-inspired shape-changing interfaces.