One line of inquiry explores mechanical disassembly, using magnetic particles and auxetic geometries and bimaterial prints to create joints that can detach under specific magnetic fields or forces. In parallel, I am developing disassembly methods for soft materials, such as fabrics and threads, including dissolvable threads that release upon exposure to targeted solvents, as well as new threading methods. By combining these approaches, I aim to establish a spectrum of mechanisms that enable products to be easily deconstructed at the end of their lifecycle without losing constituent materials. This work advances a circular design framework where materials are programmed to unmake themselves under defined conditions, offering a response to the limitations of today’s recycling systems.

Programmable Assembly for Disassembly, investigates how multi-material objects can be designed for controlled separation for renewability or reuse. While many “sustainable” products emphasize biodegradable materials, their hybrid assemblies often make recycling impossible; shoes, for instance, are notoriously difficult to disassemble. My research develops design, fabrication, and material strategies that enable multi-material systems to be separated into their constituent parts, integrating disassembly as a design parameter from the outset. Departing from traditional design-for-disassembly theories, I focus on embedding responsiveness directly into the materials themselves.

Magnet Experiments

Geometry Experiments

Assembly Experiments

2025​

Keywords | Human-centered computing, Human–robot interaction

Team | Berfin Ataman, Rodrigo Gallardo, Qilmeg Doucatz

AFFECTIVE TRANSLATION

Affective Translation is a series of textile soft robots and their augmented-reality counterparts, which enable us to investigate how motion, material, and design impact emotional engagement. Each of the four textile robots features a soft outer structure with embedded actuation, motors, servos, and pneumatic chambers, all controlled via networked custom microcontrollers, to evoke natural rhythms such as breathing, stretching, and pulsing. The same motion data from the actuators in physical sculptures is used to drive the virtual models, allowing a direct comparison between physical and digital experiences. Participants interacted with either the physical or virtual  systems and reported how qualities like liveliness, calmness, and curiosity were perceived across conditions.

Each robot employs unique actuation systems (motors, spools, pneumatic chambers, or servos) controlled via microcontrollers and randomized timing, generating lifelike unpredictability. The AR twins are animated using recorded motion data, reproducing the same temporal signatures within a spatially aligned immersive environment.

Preliminary data from the physical installation show participants found the experience pleasant, natural, and alive, evoking calmness and curiosity. Future stages will include the virtual-twin dataset and integrate biometric sensing (heart rate, skin conductance, pupil dilation) to deepen understanding of emotional resonance across modalities.

Paper Under Review: Affective Translation: Material and Virtual Embodiments of Kinetic Textile Robots. In Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI ’26).

Waiting for the Dark

Textile Robot | Materials: Fabric, wood, electronics, petg.|Size: 12ft x 6ft x 6ft

2025​

Keywords |bio- materials, sustainable constriction

Team | Berfin Ataman, Lee Marom

COWO is a coconut and wool composite. When combined through a tufting process, these two undervalued waste streams form insulation and acoustic panels without the use of synthetic adhesives. The natural structure of each material allows us to build layered compositions that meet performance requirements while remaining compostable and safe to handle. These panels can be adapted for interiors and modular systems, demonstrating how waste can be reimagined as a reliable, regenerative resource.

We exhibited our COWO coconut- wool panels as a part of the VAMO exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale that opened to public in 2025.

COWO: A Tufted Coconut–Wool Composite for High-Performance Thermal and Acoustic Insulation. ICBMC: International Conference on Building Materials and Construction, Tokyo, 2026(Under Review).

Keywords | Underwater Vehicles, Energy Systems, sustainable fuels

Team | Berfin Ataman,  Johan Maysonet, JohnByers, Kanglin Kong, Matthew Groll, Ottavia Personeni, Tyler Nagashima, William Cruz

Link to white paper and sponsor draft

Calypso

A test Configuration for an Aluminum-Fueled Buoyancy Engine

Calypso is a buoyancy engine prototype that explores how chemical reactions can drive controlled motion in underwater environments. The system investigates the feasibility of using the exothermic aluminum–water reaction to produce hydrogen gas and heat as a means of modulating buoyancy without relying on heavy batteries or motorized actuators. When aluminum reacts with water, it releases hydrogen gas that expands a flexible bladder, increasing system volume and decreasing density. Venting the gas reverses the process, allowing the engine to descend. By coordinating injection, venting, and pressure regulation, Calypso creates a repeatable chemical-to-mechanical cycle of ascent and descent. My role in the team was in the design of the hull, aluminum bladder, and was also a part of the electronics and control team.

The prototype (above) is built around a dual-housing architecture consisting of a fully flooded hull and a sealed dry electronics enclosure. The flooded hull contains the aluminum fuel bag, water bag, and inflatable bladder, while the dry compartment houses the control electronics, sensors, and pump drivers. The two zones are connected through carefully sealed pass-throughs that maintain waterproofing while routing hard nylon tubing, soft PVC lines, check valves, and Y-junction fittings. This routing network manages water intake, reactant flow, gas venting, and bladder inflation, and its watertight performance was essential to ensuring stable operation under pressure.

To operate the fluid network, Calypso uses a set of custom-designed electronics.These circuits seen above allow the pumps to run reliably inside the underwater shell while isolating all sensitive components in the dry housing. Real-time sensing is handled by pressure and temperature probes whose data feed into a dedicated monitoring interface and a command dashboard that controls ascent, descent, and emergency abort sequences.

The heart of the system is the aluminum fuel bag, designed to contain the reaction while managing heat transfer through the surrounding flooded environment(test setup on the left). Bench-top experiments measured reaction temperature behavior for both aluminum paste and pellet fuels, validating thermal safety and confirming the reaction’s ability to generate more than enough gas to drive meaningful buoyancy change. Modeling and steady-state heat transfer analysis guided the selection of wall thickness and material properties to prevent overheating and ensure predictable inflation behavior.