The chair pictured above has the ability to shrink down to five percent of its original size and when heated up, it returns to its original form, just like popcorn. The Noumenon project by Belgian designer Carl de Smet started around six years ago with an aim to explore the world of smart polymers. Under this project, furniture units made with polyurethane shape-memory polymers (SMPs) are compressed into flat, lightweight slabs, so that they don’t take much of the space and can be transported easily. The high-tech foam furniture, on heating, goes to its original shape, courtesy of “memory foam” properties of the material.
As of now, you need to heat up this furniture upto 70 degrees. However, Carl de Smet is working on other ways to ease the process. For example, the material could return to its original shape by passing electricity through it. The project is being showcased at the Buda Factory building in Kortrijk, Belgium.
Via: Dezeen
