MIT CSAIL's 3D-printed zipper creates rigid objects in seconds

Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), led by associate professor Stefanie Mueller, have created a 3D-printed zipper that can turn flexible strips into rigid objects. The design draws from a prototype patented in the mid-1980s by William Freeman, now an MIT professor. The team built custom software that lets users customize the length, bend direction, and angle of the strips, then 3D-print them in plastic. When zipped together, the three flexible arms form rigid structures that can appear straight, bent, coiled, or twisted—enabling a range of practical applications.

For example, a tent using this zipper can be set up in just 80 seconds, and a wrist cast can be easily tightened or loosened by the wearer. Adding a small motor allows the zipped object to change shape on command—for instance, adjusting a robot's leg height with the push of a button. “A regular zipper is great for closing up flat objects, like a jacket, but Freeman ideated something more dynamic,” says MIT postdoc Jiaji Li, lead author of a paper on the project. “We’ve developed a process that builds objects you can rapidly shift from flexible to rigid, and you can be confident they’ll work in the real world.”