Metamaterials are engineered 3D cell grids that have properties that are not found in nature. Recently, a group of Hasso-Plattner Institute researchers (supported by a Shapeways educational grant) enhanced metamaterial design to include mechanical functionality.

Created by Manuel Jiménez Garcia and Gilles Retsin, ‘Voxel Chair’ is a first prototype designed using a new design software specifically developed for robotic 3D-Printing which rather than using pre-defined forms and then “slicing” these it into toolpaths or triangular patterns, allows to design and control thousands of line-fragments.