3D printing technology has opened up countless ways to carry out and model experiments. This is exactly what Prof. Heinrich Jaeger’s lab at the University of Chicago has been doing to test the complex properties of different shapes. One topic that the research group has been looking into is the process of jamming of randomly placed particles (which can be spheres or more complex shapes) that move from fluid-like to solid-like behaviour.

The team tried to find out which particle shape would give the best outcome in terms of stiffness or softness with a certain applied force. The computer began by designing randomly shaped particles for testing and then altering the particles slightly based on the testing feedback to find out what the optimum shape was.