Today, the challenges of climate change and environmental crises are widely acknowledged as urgent global concerns. Against this backdrop, and informed by the epistemological turns of posthumanism, design research seeks to challenge and expand conventional paradigms. For the shared goal of "living as well as possible" with other earthly beings, it is essential to understand the intricate and dynamic relations we share with the (living) entities we design and cohabit with. Grounded in posthumanist, feminist care, and new materialist theories, this dissertation investigates care in biodesign, focusing on cultivating care relations between humans and living organisms, particularly microbes. Through exploring materiality as a lens for designing more-than-human care, it offers theoretical, conceptual, empirical, and methodological contributions to the expanding discourse on care in designing with living systems.
This dissertation employs a programmatic Research-through-Design process. A multiplicity of methods such as theoretical analysis, auto-ethnography, imaginary artefacts, material-driven design and a longitudinal ethnographic study are deployed. Within the research program, I conducted two main design experiments, including the creation of cyano-bacteria-based living artefacts and the characterization of their temporal patterns.....

This thesis investigates textile-forms—textile-based artefacts designed through the integrated consideration of textile (matter) and form (artefact). Building on the concept of Multimorphism, which views textiles as a material system spanning material, social, and ecological scales, this research addresses the challenges of designing interactions deeply rooted in the textile material system.
Grounded in the Materials Experience framework, the thesis examines textile-forms' performativity—their capacity to invite action—and their multi-situatedness, or adaptability to diverse contexts. Using a mixed-methods Research-through-Design (RtD) approach, the research investigates textile-forms' performativity across three levels: design practice, interaction, and user experience. Two series of woven textile-forms, created through weaving and multi-layer weaving techniques, explore how specific textile qualities contribute to performativity and how textile-forms can be designed for everyday use. Empirical studies reveal that textile-forms with unpredictable behaviours and multiple embedded states encourage creative actions and reflective experiences. However, the studies also highlight challenges, such as user confusion caused by open-ended functionality and evolving material states.
This thesis demonstrates how designers can use textile-form thinking to leverage textiles' performativity, enabling rich interaction possibilities inherent to their textileness. It also emphasizes the gap between textile-forms' potential for richer interactions and user acceptance. In conclusion, the work advocates for multimorphic thinking, promoting holistic and ecological approaches to designing interactions with textiles that embrace their unique temporal, unpredictable, and multi-situated qualities.

A prototype for a production method is designed that can facilitate multiple geometries of statically grown bacterial cellulose for one mould. This production method, called CelluShaping, was developed after desktop research on bacterial cellulose. Here, topics regarding the material’s origin, cultural influences, its biological synthesis, material characteristics, applications and production, as well as topics regarding biodesign and conformality in design are discussed. From this research, a taxonomy is made, on which ideation on multiple principles are developed. After testing the most promising principles, a combination of two principles, where geometry is introduced through the growing bacterial cellulose sample from above the growth and from below. This principle, which is called CelluShaping, is elaborated upon and divided into its main components. From this understanding of the principle, a testing setup is designed and built. Also, a computational model, which aids in the hypothesizing of tests and is a first step in a tool to work with the production method is developed. With the testing setup and model, multiple tests are performed to test with multiple geometries and growing conditions. Finally, an overall conclusion, discussion, recommendation and reflection is given.

Light pollution is becoming an issue due to the excessive use of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN). This thesis explores the design potentials of bioluminescent algae to integrate more darkness into our urban nightscapes, with a design exploration on the TU Delft campus. The goal is to find out if bioluminescent algae can be used to design for darkness.

This research was divided into a theoretical study, a research study conducting measurements and user experience, ideation and prototyping, and user evaluations. Literature has shown that people’s perception of light is crucial for a safe and comfortable environment at night. The perception is very subjective and is influenced by various factors. The research also analysed the characteristics of bioluminescent algae and found that they have the potential to offer distinctive textures and patterns that could improve the nighttime environment.

Through measurements and user studies the current lighting environment was defined and a location for the design was chosen. This research led to the insight that a design at the location near the Aula would have the most significant impact in reducing light usage. The location offers space for an interactive and explorative design. The dimensions simple, dim, and safe showed significance and are used as handles for the ideation phase.

Following the design vision, two concepts were selected that went through prototyping, testing processes in the biolab and user evaluations. The testing process resulted in choosing the sturdy transparent container types that created more light output while interacting. Based on the insights of this research the prototype was translated to a final design. The goal of the design is to show how bioluminescent algae can be integrated for design for darkness, which was validated with the user.

In conclusion, the project shows that the material performs well in dark environments and the promise of bioluminescent algae as a means for design for darkness is recognised. Further exploration and applications are encouraged, since there are steps needed to re-introduce darkness. A meaningful application using the material can be made to promote darkness to help people see the positive aspects of darkness and take steps towards darker nightscapes.

Today, the foundation of the textile industry is built upon the possibility to purchase synthetic fibres as these allow people to have an extensive amount of choices. Unfortunately, they are as far away from nature as it can get. Over the last decade, the industry is increasingly trying to move towards a more bio-based future, often this can be seen in the increased demand for materials sourced from renewable resources such as plants (living organisms) fabrics like cotton. Alongsides the increase in traditional fabrics multiple new initiatives are popping up to connect the textile industry with nature. Due to these endless possibilities, future consumers find it hard to see the wood for the trees. Navigation into the world of biodesign is a necessity to set the next step towards this envisioned sustainable future. What if I told you, to think beyond sourcing materials from living organisms? What if we let living organisms become part of our daily life again? Bioassembly makes it possible to source raw materials from living organisms, produced with living organisms to create a material that is still alive in the use phase. This concept changes the relationship between the consumer and the material. To create comfort around this new relationship innovators should be more interactive with future consumers' so preconceptions can be addressed. Currently digital platforms are the most efficient way of communication between the consumer and the innovator, especially since the shift towards digital channels particularly increased the past year due to social distancing measures as a consequence of Covid-19. However traditional tools are still inadequate in capturing and communicating the qualities of these living materials (D’Olivo & Karana, 2021). Clear digital communication should be transparent and interactive. Besides, it should give a clear image of the aesthetics that currently go beyond beauty and include morals. Morals encourage change on a societal level, where the individual is part of something bigger. The appreciation, attention and understanding of new innovations is built upon social situations and group associations, which are also digitally visible since the rise of social media. So we can state that digital social influence matters since it affects what we think and do. What if we could thoughtfully use social dimensions for the communications of new innovations like ‘living’ textiles? Social dimensions can be split into different levels. Firstly the macro-level of society is envisioned as a concept which is called social impact storytelling. It envisions a clear image on what we could create together in order to provoke change worldwide. Secondly social presence can be used to create a space where people feel safe and free to share and cherish information with others. To finally be influenced by each other; you can pioneer, you can follow or you can do the complete opposite. A qualitative study researches how these particular social dimensions can contribute to the level of understanding and appreciation regarding living textiles. Taking into account the data of 160 participants it should be noted that social dimensions should be used carefully. Innovators should be very specific in what they exactly want to communicate. Social presence can lead to a less professional story since the innovator is not the only source of information anymore. Furthermore innovators should clearly decide to whom they communicate since different groups could be addressed differently. For social impact storytelling this mainly applies when distinguishing between different age groups as there is a lot of difference in what kind of relationship they have with the digital world. The digital world can be a notably broad playground for communication. Let’s design a place that stimulates creativity by giving shape to a material and its ‘livingness’. A world where preconceptions around health, smell and hygienics can be addressed. A world where we can try something new, together.

Interwoven refers to material structures made by growing plant roots into man-made patterns. Originally developed as an art piece to demonstrate root intelligence and bring attention to human-nature relations, Interwoven shows the potential to disrupt various commercial industries, especially as textile-based natural fiber reinforcements for composite materials. The artist that created Interwoven, Amsterdam-based Diana Scherer, started a collaboration with the TU Delft Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering to help further develop Interwoven from an art piece to a sustainable material for products design. Following the Material Driven Design method (Karana, et al., 2015), two students have identified materials experience opportunities created by Interwoven materials, the mechanical properties and internal structure of Interwoven are still not fully understood.

This study tackles the challenge of performing a technical characterization on Interwoven structures in an effort to correlate processing parameters to its structure, properties, and performance. It is known from past works that Interwoven is fragile and “weak”, but a quantified value for these terms serves as a point of comparison with other materials in the market. To determine these values, a series of tensile tests were performed on grids with a simple square pattern. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) tests performed on single roots proved that the amalgamation of roots that make up an Interwoven structure do not efficiently transfer tensile loads since the tensile strength and elastic moduli of Interwoven samples were nearly two orders of magnitude lower than those of a single root. Load transfer between roots was improved through the design of natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFRCs). The (bio)-polymer matrix used for these NFRCs was made up of agar gel, which improved the tensile properties of Interwoven samples, but was still lower than the single root.

A full characterization of a material correlates the observed properties to the structure of the material, which is done through the use of microscopy. Microscopic analyses were performed on all the tested samples to find any correlation between the observed tensile properties and the structure of Interwoven samples. In addition to providing insight about the complex interactions of roots as they form the patterns that they grow into, the microscopy also revealed that there is a direct correlation between the number of root tips (root endings) present at the intersection of squares in the grid and the mechanical properties of the sample.

With further research, this result can be tied to a parameter that the designer has direct control of, giving them better control of the properties of their Interwoven structures. Varying cell size in square patterns also allows designers to create structures with locally varying properties. The correlations between design parameters and material strength are summarized in the Guidelines to Designing with Interwoven booklet. A material demonstrator was also designed to showcase the locally variable mechanical properties in one structure while summarizing the test results in a way that is accessible and easy to understand.

The potential and development of mycelium based materials has been increasing over the last years. This material is proving to be a green alternative for a variety of commodity materials like plastics, wood, leather, etc because of its ability to upcycle waste streams. A lot of existing research performed is focussed on the environmental factors required for mycelium cultivation and don’t look beyond these minimal environmental conditions. This graduation project contributes to the development of mycelium based materials by looking beyond the realm of these growing requirements. In this research the effect and potential of acoustic environments on the growth of mycelium is explored according to the Material Driven Design Method by Karana et al. (2015). The goal of this project is to provide first insight into the relation between the acoustic environments and mycelial growth. First by looking into physiology of mycelium and the required growing conditions needed for effective growth of the material. Additionally the physics of sound is explored to get an understanding of the factors that define an acoustic environment. A setup was created to host the required environmental conditions needed by designing three modular incubators. These incubators provide a multifunctional growing chamber where different stimuli systems can be placed precisely within while maintaining the required growing conditions for the mycelium and dampen external sounds. Three different conditions were created for this research, a silence chamber, a mono speaker and a stereo setup to see the response of the mycelium to the different types of stimuli. The response was captured by doing a grayscale analysis to quantitatively analyse the change in growth. In this research the key findings of the research provided first insights into the negative correlation between this acoustic environment and mycelial growth regarding the growth rate and textural qualities at higher volumes. In addition it provided that this type of sonic stimuli has no effect on the textural qualities and spatial distribution of mycelium.

This graduation report aimed to improve the mechanical properties of a sustainable 3D print material made of microalgae, in order to create an macro-porous 3D structure with enhanced longevity and photosynthetic activity. This research builds upon the alginate based bio-ink from Balasubramanian et al (2021). Their material proposal lacked structural stability and print resolution, which made geometries of more than six layers impossible. Moreover, the bioprints were confined to a nutrient plate. These challenges formed the motivation for the research. The goal for the optimized bioprinting protocol was to make use of the advantages of additive manufacturing, by creating a macro-porous shape with increased surface ratio. The hypothesis was that the microalgae would have more access to light, air and nutrients which would increase oxygen release and carbon dioxide fixation. In a series of explorative studies, in close collaboration with nanobiologists, biomaterial designers and 3D printing experts, a direct ink writing approach was selected to construct the microalgae bioprints. Additional components were added to the alginate bio-ink formulation, which concluded in a material with improved print fidelity and resolution, so that more than 25 layers could be bioprinted. With the optimized protocol, the 3D printed construct could be crosslinked so that the print was stable enough to be handled. The microalgae immobilized in the ink formulation survived more than seven days in the 3D printed geometry. The photosynthetic performance of the material was observed, by building an incubator prototype with oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors. The sensors measured two different bioprints simultaneously, a macro-porous cube and a solid cube. The superiority of the photosynthetic ability of the porous geometry over the solid geometry could not be concluded, due to the limitations of the sensors and the prototype setup. Important insights were found for further research on the improvement of the test setup. The optimized microalgae bio-ink is a valuable material with sustainable benefits. The material can actively fight carbon dioxide pollution, is carbon neutral in production and is biodegradable. The technical optimization of the bio-ink in this study formed the first steps towards a functional living microalgae artefact.

This project explores how 3D printed pneumatic soft actuators can be used to enhance the expressiveness of textiles with alive-like movement. The research begins by studying current literature on shape changing materials and interfaces in order to select the best candidate material to explore during the project. The project then uses a material driven approach to characterize the 3D printed pneumatic textiles for enhancing their performance and ease of fabrication. Based on the characterization, a material concept is created to showcase the material qualities found during the research and to help study the material experience of shape changing interfaces in future research.

As a result of the research, we introduce Textalive: The Animated Textile Toolkit, a fully 3D printed approach to explore shape changing interfaces and alive-like expressions including its hardware augmented by the computational tool. The toolkit uses accessible 3D printed pneumatic actuators commonly used in soft robotics due to their controllability and ease of fabrication compared to other shape changing materials. The 3D printed pneumatic actuators can be arranged along a 3D printed textile composite to create a variety of shape morphologies. The hardware allows the user to control the kinetic parameters of the movement of the textile to create different expressions. Additionally, the computational design tool allows the designer to predict the shape and movement of the textile by digitally varying the location of the actuator. The toolkit was validated with various designers ranging from different levels of expertise with smart materials showing its potential as a design tool for easily exploring shape changing interfaces and alive-like expressions.

Integrating living organisms in design could offer alternative and more sustainable ways of producing and using products. The use of bioluminescent organisms in design is a relatively new and unknown subject. Because of this, interested designers have a lot of homework to do before starting the actual design process. Successfully changing the organisms habitat from nature to a user’s home and provoking the desired luminescence depends on specific biological and environmental requirements. The aim of this graduation project is to provide interested designers with guidelines on the cultivation and perpetuation of bioluminescent organisms when integrated into a consumer product. The first step is to gather information on two bioluminescent organisms, P. fusiformis and P. phosphoreum, in an extensive literature research. This results in design insights which compare both organisms on the challenges and potential when integrated in a consumer product. The second step continues with the most promising organism, P. phosphoreum. This organism is used within experiments further researching the bioluminescent and perpetuation characteristics, relating them to usage and storage possibilities. The experiment results are translated into design insights. The third step is to combine the design insights from both the literature research and the conducted experiments into guidelines which will help and inspire interested designers in the creation of products with integrated bioluminescent organisms. The guidelines are applied within a future scenario which will act as an example on how P. phosphoreum could be integrated within a design.

This project started with analyzing the different roles and potentials that bacteria have for the growth of new materials with ecological benefits. Here questions arise about the role that a designer can fulfill in the development of such novel materials. What new skillset does he/she need to obtain? How will a collaboration with biologists take place? In order to get a better understanding of the potentials of materials grown by bacteria and the subsequent role of a designer, a Material Driven Design (Karana et al., 2015) project was performed in collaboration with scientists from the Aubin-Tam research group, part of the Bionanoscience department of the Delft University of Technology. The starting point of the design project was a composite material consisting of three ingredients that are grown by three separate species of bacteria. In order to gain an understanding of how this material was grown and produced, the designer performed a plethora of experiments investigating; the growth of the organisms and the amount of material they produced; how the ratio between the three ingredients influenced the resulting material; how the way in which the material was processed resulted in its final form and properties. This led to the understanding that this material is highly programmable in its form and properties such as its flexibility, strength and surface roughness. With this in mind, user studies were performed in which it was found that the versatility of the material was considered interesting and intriguing by participants. They wonder what it is and how it is made, finding it hard to believe that bacteria grew such a material. This led to a material concept in which the designer proposes to play with these varying properties of the material, resulting in contrasting material experiences and highlighting the material its ability to appear as something that is both natural and man-made at the same time. This was done by exploring various processesing potentials of the material and analysing how different parameters of these processes influence the resulting material its properties. In doing so, the designer provided a framework by which future designers can program and explore this bio-based material that shows a lot of different potentials.

Within this graduation project, the qualities and potential of bioluminescent micro-algae will be explored with the use of the Material Driven Design Method, as described by Karana et al.(2015). This project aims to provide designers first insights in the behaviour of the bioluminescent algae by looking at the relation between movement and light. The first step will be to understand the different factors that influence the growth of the organisms, in order to be able to create a sustainable living environment that allows us to effectively maintain and grow the organisms. Afterwards, reflecting upon the growing process and creating general guidelines for effectively growing material. Next, the response of the material in regards to different types of stimuli was explored and three types of agitation forms (rotation, pulse and vibration) were evaluated; providing first insights in how the type of stimuli affects the characteristics of the light, with a focus on changes in total light output over time, differences in experiential qualities and boundaries of the material. Based upon the questions that resulted from the exploration phase, a research structure was defined. Within the research, key insight in the flash characteristics and overall behaviour of the light, with regards the temporal form, textural qualities and spatial distribution of the light, will be analysed; taking the first steps in describing the complex relation between movement and experiential qualities of the light. In the end, providing an overview of factors that can be adjusted to alter the flash characteristics and general behaviour of the light. The project is concluded with the design of a research object, in the form of a small scale interactive exhibition; displaying the findings of the research phase and sparking the interest of other designers; stimulating further research and promoting the use of bioluminescent materials.

Interwoven is a textile grown from plant roots, showing the intelligence of plants. It is originally from the attempt of training plant roots to form a manmade pattern since 2015 by visual artist Diana Scherer based in Amsterdam. Due to fragility, it still remains an artistic work. However, Interwoven has a great potential for sustainable product design if further development is made through altering the material structure.

Collaborating with Materials Experience Lab of Industrial Design Engineering in TU Delft, Diana Scherer wants to bring an artistic material closer to people’s daily life. The author, by following the Material Driven Design method (Karana et al., 2015)*, develop the material by altering material structure through hacking the growing process, incorporating generative design techniques and the results from the user studies, with a particular emphasis on people’s experience on interpretive level. Digital Fabrication techniques are used to design the structural pattern for achieving functionally graded material properties (e.g. spatially graded stiffness), and shape optimisation.

Based on Diana Scherer’s experience and early experiments, a few techniques are synthesized and developed in the tinkering with Interwoven. Some potential structures for digital biofabrication are: [1] root growth can be manipulated to mirror digitally generated patterns, which would provide intended technical and experiential characteristics in Interwoven; [2] roots grown in agar gel change properties to stiffer and stronger by hand feeling (further mechanical tests are needed); [3] roots can sew through descrete obstacles in their growing direction and these obstacles can be designed with digital fabrication techniques.

Combining the insights and experiential studies, a material concept has been created: showing roots glue-ability to porous materials and growing traces to blend nature and man-made world. The material experience vision is to exhibit the glue-ability of Interwoven through a daily object co-created by roots and digital manufactured structures and bring forward the collision and collaboration between natural growth and man-made world. The final product concept is to imitate one of the most mass-produced daily products - IKEA ALSEDA, questioning the current way of manufacturing and material use. The co-creation structure increased durability of Interwoven.

This master thesis is a graduation project of the master study Integrated Product Design at Delft University of Technology. It was executed in collaboration with the Material Experience Lab in the faculty Industrial Design Engineering. The project follows the Material Driven Design method by Elvin Karana. The material being researched is the Formlabs ceramic resin which was newly developed and has been on the market for approximately a year now. The Formlabs ceramic resin is a 3D printable ceramic material which uses photopolymerization to solidify the resin into objects. The material requires extra steps and experimenting and is now mostly used in educational and researching environments, because of the challenges it brings. These challenges mainly occur because not enough is known about the material and the way of use. However, the Formlabs material has a great potential of being more user friendly and easier to use than other 3D printable ceramic materials. This is because the material is made for the specific 3D printer allowing them to work together perfectly, increasing the ease of use and success rate. The main research question for this thesis is: Which technical and experiential material properties should be emphasized to create unique material-user experiences? The research started with understanding the material by executing user studies, technical tests and by conducting many tinkering experiments. The tinkering process was based on the information provided by Formlabs. These experiments and tests led to several insights which created a clear overview of unique and interesting material characteristics. User studies concluded that the material was perceived as rough and tactually offensive but as pure, inviting and aesthetically pleasing because of the mat white colour, translucency and lack of impurities, creating a sensorial incongruence. Some interesting directions came forth out of the tinkering phase and the user studies. It is possible to create controlled cracks in the walls of objects. Another interesting opportunity is the possibility to produce hidden Internal structures which play with the translucency of the material. This is possible because of the high precision 3D printing technique used. Lastly digitally modified surface textures can be created which alter the tactual experience of the material. The translucency of the material and the possibility of digitally modified surface textures were further explored during this project. It was concluded from user studies that people experienced textures inspired by nature as more tactually pleasing. Furthermore, the translucency of the material allows for light to add depth to the more dimensional textures making the experience even more pleasing. An envisioned material experience was formulated by combining the findings and insights from the tinkering process. The envisioned role of the material was to attract people and invite and encourage them to interact with the object by touching and holding the surface. The tactile stimulation experienced is pleasant because of the digitally modified surface texture. When interacting with the object a hidden feature becomes visible emphasizing the translucency of the material. This hidden feature will showcase the opportunities 3D printing of translucent ceramics brings. User studies and an ideation session was held in order to materialise and realise this envisioned experience. This ideation resulted in a design direction: Design a product set or a product made up out of different components, which initially look identical but become distinguishable when a hidden feature is unveiled, by emphasizing the material’s translucency. The final product concept came to be a interactive table lamp which encourages people to explore the effects of light on the material. The lamps has digitally modified surface textures which remove the original tactile offensiveness, creating a pleasant tactile experience. It is also made up out of different components which look identical until the lamp is turned on, unveiling hidden textures.

This thesis is the final project of the master study Design for Interaction at the Delft University of Technology. This project researches the creation and impact of “material narratives”. Generally, it takes around 20 years until a new material is fully adopted. Material narratives can show the potential of new materials and make people aware about the underlying reasons, by using methods of storytelling and narrativity. Material narratives reflect the life stories and possibilities of new or newly used materials, as well as our relationship to materiality, which includes the personal and cultural stories of the people behind it. The goal of these material narratives is that the receiver can better relate to these materials, enriching and enhancing their “materials experience”. This led to the following design goal: "Design a method for designers to create material narratives to positively influence the materials experience."

This graduation project started with the broader goal to stimulate and facilitate the use of local and natural building materials, as an alternative for the conventional construction techniques through material narratives that positively influence the materials experience, based on my vision and prior experiences (p.3).

An extensive research on narratives, based on literature (chapter 2) and existing example narratives (chapter 3), led to the definition of the material narrative model (chapter 4). This model describes six essential narrative elements, including sub-elements, interrelations and influential factors. This model is an addition to existing research in the way it describes the relations and effects.

As a way to apply and test this theory in the field, a showcase was executed in South Limburg (chapter 5). During the showcase several material narratives were created, focussing on local natural materials and its related crafts and people, and shared for feedback. Furthermore, tools and templates were explored and developed to make the model easily accessible through a guiding method. The method consists of four main phases: inventarisation, selection, translation and communication. The first two phases include the research preparation to acquire the material narrative input; the latter two phases facilitate the actual narrative creation, based on the material narrative model.

These two parallel processes - the narrative research and the showcase - led to the final product: the Material Narrative Method. The method is designed as workbook that can be filled in by the user and taken along to the project (chapter 6). The thesis concludes with a strategy for the method workbook, opportunities for collaboration with other methods, such as the MDD method (Karana et al.,2015), and recommendations.

This thesis researches the development of the new biocomposite RECURF. It aims to shorten the gestation period of this new innovative material by designing a material driven demonstrator project which acts as the matchmaking system between material developers and industry designers and engineers.