MIT modules retain electrical connections as structures change shape

MIT researchers and collaborators have developed 3D-printed modules that change shape while maintaining electrical connections, New Atlas reports. The team's design endured 10,000 compressions without losing electrical connection during testing. Called bifur-circuits, the modules rotate and pivot, forming distinct circuits that let connected units communicate and determine their collective shape without external wires. Construction and simulation software lets designers produce structures in a single printing with multimaterial 3D printers. Demonstrations include furniture that converts between chairs and tables and a controller that launches different games depending on its shape. Structurally stable forms with integrated actuation remain a future research goal.