I’m beginning to seriously think paper is one of the most versatile materials there are. You’ve got origami, cardboard furniture, plus remember that video of a man using a paper disc mounted on an angle grinder to cut through wood??
Anyway, designers Marion Pinaffo and Raphaël Pluvinage are using paper to build simple machines and gadgets. Titled Papier Machine (a play on the word Papier Mache), the designers compiled a 13-page book where pages can be torn off and folded into various different electronic mini-machines and sensors (that can sense mass, humidity, wind, and even color… all made out of paper!), powered by simple off-the-shelf batteries. The paper electro-toys rely on special types of conductive ink that are screen-printed onto the pages, bringing much more to the table than just colorful visuals. I wonder what we’ll be able to do with paper next?!
P.S. Do check out the Papier Machine website to have a look at all 13 toys for yourself. They’re incredibly intriguing!
Designers: Marion Pinaffo & Raphaël Pluvinage.
