About

OpenMaterials is a research group dedicated to open investigation and experimentation with DIY production methods and uses of materials.

In the spirit of the open source software and hardware movements, we hope to promote materials to be researched and developed in a public, collaborative manner. We see materials as an open resource, and wish to establish an open process for exploring and sharing knowledge, techniques and applications related to materials science. We hope to encourage discourse and experimentation with the broadest range of materials and processes possible.

This website is intended as a platform to share knowledge, resources and discoveries, as well as document experiments and processes.

In broad terms the aims of openMaterials are:

:: Collect interesting resources (news, techniques, theory, artworks, videos, etc.) and share them via links and blog posts

:: Create a repository of relevant materials, tools and techniques. eg. – descriptions, physical properties, what it’s good for and what it’s not, tricks and hacks, where to get it, who’s using it, who’s improving it

:: Experiment and document experiments, and share them via how-tos and tutorials (text and video)

Contributors

OpenMaterials was started by Catarina Mota and Kirsty Boyle in 2009

Catarina Mota :: PhD fellow, founder of everywhere tech, open materials and altlab, research chair at the Open Source Hardware Association, TED fellow, member of NYCResistor.
catarina (at) openmaterials (dot) org

Kirsty Boyle :: karakuri Obsessed robot artist and co-founder of openMaterials
kirsty (at) openmaterials (dot) org

Laurence Humier :: entrepreneur with an architectural engineer background. She develops where she likes to live “micro” (till now) business: from the idea to the project; all the way to communication and distribution.
info (at) missdesign (dot) it

Victor Babbitt :: General roustabout. Founder of companies ranging from Batteries to Breastfeeding. Invented electronic voting systems. Worked for Microsoft Advanced Technologies, and fished crab in the Bering back in the old days when it was hard. Now developing energy storage systems to integrate more renewable energy.

Nicholas Vermeer :: electronics and science enthusiast at NYCResistor

Erika Lincoln :: artist working in electronics and all things palpable
erika (at) openmaterials (dot) org

Alejandro Tamayo :: open system intrigued by nature and other machines
laimagendelmundo (at) yahoo (dot) ca

Marc Dusseiller :: Mikro hackteria Nanotech-Labor Hacker-Sound-Künstler und Ingenieur-Werkstoffe
marc (at) dusseiller (dot) ch

Niki Passath :: robotics and digital media manipulation
niki.passath (at) gmail (dot) com

Varvara Guljajeva – media artists who is often working with toys and existing objects
varvarag (at) gmail (dot) com

We’d love for you to be involved if you are working in these areas, or interested in learning more about different materials. Contact us and tells us about your research, projects, or if are interested in contributing to openMaterials.org