The New Science of Digital Materials

As engineers, we tend to take materials for granted. In most engineering projects materials are “a given”, defined at the start of the design process, and rarely changed throughout it. We are prepared to tweak every single geometric parameter in the search for optimal engineering solutions, but materials are treated as a constraint rather than a degree of freedom. The recent development of “digital materials” that can be designed, analyzed and optimized via simulation changes this paradigm forever and unlocks endless possibilities for technological and cultural development.