TITLE
Bioactuated Textiles: Exploring Reversible Actuation of Casein Bioplastic in Woven Textiles
ABSTRACT
Biomaterials in wearable technology are often explored for their sustainability attributes; this paper broadens that focus to include their functional affordances. We present a casein bioplastic formulation and fabrication technique that preserve its inherent water-triggered shape change. Strips of this biomaterial were integrated into woven swatches to explore how strip width and weave structure influence actuation and textile deformation. We found that the bioactuated textile could be thermally reset, revealing a reversible interaction. We contextualize our findings through envisioned scenarios and discuss how this research can expand interaction modalities in wearable design and interactive textiles.
PUBLICATION
2025 – Eldy S. Lazaro Vasquez, Viola Arduini, Etta W Sandry, Srujana Golla, Laura Devendorf, and Mirela Alistar. 2025. Bioactuated Textiles: Exploring Reversible Actuation of Casein Bioplastic in Woven Textiles. In Companion of the 2025 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp Companion ’25), October 12–16, 2025, Espoo, Finland. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 6 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3714394.3750704
PDF – Video
EXHIBITIONS
- Sketching in Hardware | Paris, France 2025.
- ISWC Design Exhibition | Espoo, Finland 2025.
- Research Open Labs | Bioactuated Textiles | ATLAS Institute | Boulder, 2025
- Research Open Labs | Bioactuated Tapestry | ATLAS Institute | Boulder, 2025
ISWC 2025: Research Project Overview
Testing the casein bioplastic in woven textiles to explore how structure and bioplastic strip width might affect bioactuation. In this image, we explored variations of twill from a. segmented, b. front and back, and c. full cloth length.
ISWC 2025: Design Exhibition Video