"MIT Researchers Push Boundaries with Creative Thinking"
Mathias Kolle, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, is studying the microstructure of butterfly wings and other optically interesting organisms to replicate and improve upon their structural, light-bending effects. Inspired by nature, Kolle and his students are designing materials that exhibit advanced optical functions, including color-changing sheets and fibers that can be integrated into medical bandages or used for strength-testing knots. They aim to create materials that generate colors without chemicals, using the structure itself to produce brilliant and vibrant colors.