From smart materials to Animate Objects. Reframing Smartness through behavior exploration

Today, a new class of materials and objects are entering our daily lives, giving interest in smart devices research and robotics in our societies. As a result, we are experiencing a renewed interest in “material agency” and the reconfiguration of our environment through the hybridization of physical matter and digital performance. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the research direction of MADEC – the Material Design Culture Research Center in the Design Department of the Polytechnic University of Milan - on the “phygital” evolution of product design and the design implications of “Animate Objects”, which we will define. Since technology has allowed the transition from graphic interfaces to shape-shifting ones, designers are experiencing new challenges. We frame this topic of the smart evolution of objects through the existing literature and investigate issues like their new features, behaviors, and aesthetic implications. Then we analyze a few case studies to stress the fundamental aspects to consider when approaching the design of animate objects. We believe it is time to strengthen design-led research on the behavior of animate objects. Their qualities cannot be detached from design aspects inherent to their tangibility during the interaction, such as the form in time and expressiveness. These aspects shape users’ behaviors in terms of new functions as well as cultural, social, and ethical dimensions that are at the basis of collective meanings and values.