In Miami, luxury carmaker Lexus and design studio Crafting Plastics have created a 3D printed, bioplastic car sculpture that changes color in response to changes in the environment, such as UV radiation and viewer proximity. Dubbed Liminal Cycles, the sculpture also expands and contracts “as if it were breathing, visualizing the relationship between technology and nature,” according to designboom.
Crafting Plastics used Lexus’ Software Defined Vehicles concept, which would see customers able to extensively customize their vehicle with special software, in designing Liminal Cycles. The sculpture is made from Nuatan, a bioplastic based on sugars and starches, Vlasta Kubušová, co-founder of Bratislava-based Crafting Plastics, said. “The raw resource can vary, but we use mostly sugarcane. We also create different types of composites using agricultural byproducts and fibers like bamboo for specific materials that should be more flexible.”
The sculpture will be on display through December 15.