Multistability in beadwoven structures

From origami to beading, crafts that use minimal materials and simple geometric rules have been used for millennia across cultures for creative expression. These handicrafts have received recent attention from the research community for their potential as mechanical meta-materials: materials with extraordinary properties owed to their hierarchical structure. While the mechanics of these materials are being better understood through their mathematical and physical study, the masters who know them best are the hobbyists and artists who use and develop the techniques using traditional wisdom and personal experience. In this talk we will explore the state-of-the-art of beadwoven arts within the scientific context and connect how geometric frustration in these traditional techniques lead to multistable functions.