Texture-changing skin lets robot express its feelings
Cornell University engineers have made a robot that gets goosebumps or becomes spiky to communicate its internal state. More
-
Josh Carmody's clamp system turns material samples into tables
Melbourne-based designer Josh Carmody has designed a system of clamps that can connect architects and designers' unwanted material samples to create tables. More
-
Oksana Bondar uses human hair to create biodegradable stool
Kingston School of Art graduate Oksana Bondar has created a dressing table stool from human hair to demonstrate the design possibilities of the material. More
-
Lingxiao Luo combines 3D-printing and knitwear to create playful garments
Royal College of Art graduate Lingxiao Luo has combined 3D-printing with traditional knitwear techniques to create a series of pieces that evoke the playfulness of children's toys. More
-
Tobias Trübenbacher creates furniture from pig bladders and cow intestines
Industrial design student Tobias Trübenbacher has used pig bladders and cow intestines to create furniture, in a bid to discover the "inner values" of animal offal. More
-
Roza Janusz grows edible food packaging
Graduate Roza Janusz has created an alternative to plastic food packaging, which is made from organic material and can either be eaten after use, or composted. More
-
Envisions creates a "diptych" of material experiments for Finsa
Dutch collective Envisions will present its latest material research for wood brand Finsa during this year’s Milan design week, in an exhibition that combines process pieces with final collections. More
-
Innriinnri uses volcanic rock from Iceland to create sculptural table
Natural materials sourced from Iceland's volcanic landscape were used to make this piece of furniture by Reykjavík studio Innriinnri. More
-
New material made from desert sand could offer low-carbon alternative to concrete
A team of scientists in the UK have developed a biodegradable construction material made from desert sand – a resource that has until now been useless for construction. More
-
François Bauchet creates "clover-shaped" furniture for Galerie Kreo
French designer François Bauchet used a composite material made from sand, resin and concrete to create this furniture collection for Galerie Kreo, which features clover-shaped details. More
-
Chair made from flax fibres and bio-resin named best product at Stockholm Furniture Fair
Japanese designer Jin Kuramoto has created a "100 per cent biological chair" using flax fibres – a completely biodegradable material that is most commonly used for banknotes, tea bags and linen. More
-
Winners of $1 million Circular Materials Challenge prize for plastic alternatives announced
The winners of a lucrative competition tasking designers to come up with new materials to replace plastic packaging have been revealed. More
-
Joe Doucet creates way-finding running gloves using Reebok Flexweave
Joe Doucet has used Reebok's new Flexweave material to to create an "imaginative fitness prototype" that helps prevent runners from getting lost. More
-
Robotic 3D printers create terrazzo floors in any pattern
A Dutch company has developed technology for 3D printing floors in an endless variety of colours and patterns. More
-
Dezeen's top 10 unusual materials of 2017
Animal blood, algae and mushroom mycelium are among some of the unconventional materials used in design this year. Continuing our review of 2017, editorial assistant Gunseli Yalcinkaya selects her top 10. More
-
Dutch designers showcase furniture and products made from unusual textile
A group of 10 designers from the Netherlands has teamed up with manufacturer Low & Bonar to create a set of products made from its non-woven Colback textile. More
-
Super Local uses waste glass to produce sustainable terrazzo homeware collection
Discarded glass is transformed into terrazzo to create this range of furniture and objects, which Dutch studio Super Local designed in collaboration with Zanzibari craftspeople. More
-
Shahar Livne uses waste plastic to create Lithoplast, a precious material of the future
Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Shahar Livne has created a clay-like material using discarded plastic that could be mined by future civilisations. More
-
Billie van Katwijk transforms discarded cow stomachs into leathery material
Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Billie van Katwijk has developed a process for turning bovine guts into a material that can be used to make bags and accessories, and is presenting the results at Dutch Design Week. More
-
Mushroom mycelium used to create suede-like furniture by Sebastian Cox and Ninela Ivanova
Sebastian Cox has become the latest designer to start working with mushroom mycelium – the British furniture maker has teamed up with researcher Ninela Ivanova to investigate the material's potential in commercial furniture design. More
