Metasoft 2026 - ARTEXA

Project leader : Samuel BIANCHINI & Jean-Louis VIOVY

Schools involved : ENSAD - PSL et IPGG

Project summary:

When soft robotics meets art and design

What if robots could be soft, lightweight, and even wearable like a piece of clothing? This is the starting point of a project built on a technology developed at the Institut Curie, combining textiles and microfluidics, meaning the circulation of tiny amounts of fluid through very fine structures. The idea is to explore what art and design can bring to a technology that remains largely unknown to the general public.

The project brings together scientists and designers around an approach that is both experimental and conceptual. Together, they will imagine new ways of using these soft, responsive materials: textile structures that deform under pressure, heat or light, capable of detecting movement or force and responding to it, for instance by producing a tactile sensation.

The final goal is to produce one or more prototypes mature enough to be exhibited to the public. The intended applications are deliberately varied, ranging from purely artistic projects to more concrete objects such as actuators or medical instruments, as well as interactive garments.