Skylar Tibbits, Self-Assembly Lab, MIT Arthur Olson, Molecular Graphics Lab, The Scripps Research Institute Exhibited as part of the Autonomous show at the Calit2 Gallery @ UCSD, 2013. This project investigates chiral self-assembly with many parts in order to explore the aggregate behavior of simultaneous assembly and self-selection. 240 pieces are agitated to self-assemble closed molecular structures. The continual process shows the various stages of assembly from independent parts to fully assembled structures. This work points towards a future of both tangible educational tools for scientific phenomena as well as new possibilities for industrial-scale assembly. Project collaborators: Carrie McKnelly, Adam Gardner, Daniel Johnson, Robert Seid, Rene Falquier Many thanks to Jordan Crandall for the invitation.

From the video notes:

This project investigates chiral self-assembly with many parts in order to explore the aggregate behavior of simultaneous assembly and self-selection. 240 pieces are agitated to self-assemble closed molecular structures. The continual process shows the various stages of assembly from independent parts to fully assembled structures.

This work points towards a future of both tangible educational tools for scientific phenomena as well as new possibilities for industrial-scale assembly.

Skylar Tibbits has some pretty awesome stuff on Vimeo. This one is beautiful:

This installation investigates hierarchical and non-deterministic self-assembly with large numbers of parts in a fluid medium. 350 hollow spheres have been submerged in a 200 gallon glass water-filled tank. Armatures, modeled after carbon atoms, follow intramolecular covalent bonding geometries within atoms. Intermolecular structures are formed as spheres interact with one another in 1, 2, or 3-Dimensional patterns. The highly dynamic self-assembly characteristic of the system offers a glimpse at material phase change between crystalline solid, liquid, and gaseous states. Turbulence in the water introduces stochastic energy into the system, increasing the entropy and allowing structures to self-assemble; thus, transitioning between gas, liquid, and solid phases. Polymorphism may be observed where the same intramolecular structures can solidify in more than one crystalline form, demonstrating the versatile nature of carbon as a building block for life. A collaboration between: Skylar Tibbits, The Self-Assembly Lab, MIT Arthur Olson, The Molecular Graphics Lab, The Scripps Research Institute Graham Francis, Marianna Gonzalez, Amir Soltanianzadeh, Monica Zhou, Veronica Emig Fluid Crystallization was made possible by support from the Department of Architecture, MIT and the Architectural League of New York.

Here he explains his work at the MIT Self Assembly lab, and shows a few other cool projects:

The Self-Assembly Lab at MIT is a cross-disciplinary research lab composed of designers, scientists and engineers inventing self-assembly technologies aimed at reimagining the processes of construction, manufacturing and infrastructure in the built environment. www.selfassemblylab.net Video by Paper Fortress Films - www.paperfortressfilms.com/