Mechxels: A Preliminary Exploration of Leveraging Bistability for Text and Image Display

Abstract

This paper explores Mechxels — mechanical pixels capable of rendering text and images — with preliminary evaluations of their effectiveness using pre-configured optical character recognition. Leveraging switchable multistablility through a combination of pre-strain and shape memory during fused deposition modeling (FDM), Mechxels are passive and, at 1/16th the size of the previous iteration of bistable mechanical pixels, easy to manufacture, tessellate, reprogram and reuse. A Python program is developed to assist with the tessellation by using image processing to tessellate the image and providing an interface in which images are mapped to their tessellated equivalent in Mechxels. This minimizes trial and error and determines the physical size of the tessellation and number of Mechxels required. Without the need for constant external stimulus to maintain perceived value change, Mechxels have the potential to enable passive deformation-based color changing displays that actuate based on environmental stimuli, with applications in product design and interior and exterior architecture.