The recent talk of haptic technologies refers, implicitly or explicitly, to touchscreens and the like, and while capacitive latency and the ever-growing arsenal of gestures are certainly paramount for glass surfaces, the empirical world is far richer in breadth and depth. As some have argued, tactility is paramount to our experience of the world around us. (For example, the ritual exchange of business cards during the recent NY Design Week offered a broad sample of the different textures, weights and densities of cardstock alone.)

Which brings us to BREAD's latest project, produced for Clerkenwell Design Week: the interdisciplinary design studio is pleased to present "Cilia," a foray into additive layer manufactured 'fur' tiles:Started as a commissioned investigation into the possibilities of BREAD's material research for application in interior surfaces, Cilia is a set of selectively laser sintered surface tiles made up of tens of thousands of fibres. Each tile is made from a single piece of Nylon, yet its surface is soft to the touch.

Through the use of digital modelling and Netfabb's Selective Space Structures software every element of geometry can be controlled and tweaked to the designers intent. Allowing control over each tile in terms of visual impact and feel. Cilia challenges our notions of not only the geometric but material possibilities of Additive Layer Manufacturing and shows how the combination of modern modelling and manufacturing allows us to control these elements with an unprecedented level of detail that traditional processes cannot match.

Don't miss the video, after the jump...

I'm seeing a bit of Eva Hesse in the wall-mounted version, though I'd be curious to see it adapted as a textile or floor covering. Has anyone had a chance to see (or, even better, touch) it in person?