Pneumatic Cellular Surface

Pneumatic Cellular Surface is a latex surface consisting of inflatable, spherical chambers called cells, organised in simple grids that are layered.

The state change of the cells is determined by Cellular Automata – a model of computation that can be used to imitate patterns of growth that occur in nature. The growth pattern of Cellular Automata is introduced to the prototype by defining the order in which the layers are inflated. It has found application in cryptography and random number generation, but also in predicting movement through time and space.

Thanks to the integration of the Cellular Automata, one prototype can “grow” into several shapes, depending on which cells have been activated by the algorithm. This can be achieved by including inflatable layers that restrict airflow to certain areas, so that only certain cells inflate.