Patent ID: 11911996
Assignee: PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC B  E  G  H | IPC B  E  G

Claim 15:
16. A method of modulating translucency of an elastomer structure including at least one elastomer layer, the method comprising:
generating an electric field between a compliant electrode network of conducting fibers arranged on a first surface of the at least one elastomer layer and one or more of a plurality of individually-addressable sections of a patterned electric conductor arranged on a second surface of the at least one elastomer layer opposite the first surface, the generating comprising:
holding the compliant electrode network at a first voltage potential; and
selectively coupling the one or more of the plurality of individually-addressable sections of the patterned electric conductor to at least one second voltage potential different from the first voltage potential,

wherein the first surface of the at least one elastomer layer is compressed in a presence of the electric field to modulate the translucency of the elastomer structure at a location of the one or more of the plurality of individually-addressable sections of the patterned electric conductor by producing a voltage-dependent roughening of the first surface of the at least one elastomer layer.