Nathan Vani
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nathanvani.bsky.social
Nathan Vani
@nathanvani.bsky.social
Soft matter postdoc at the University of Amsterdam
Prev. mechanics of inflatables at ESPCI, PMMH & clogging of suspensions at UCSB
https://nathanvani.github.io/
Fun collab, with a fair share of geometry, fabrication and computer graphics! Multilayered pneumatic chambers open up numerous avenues: 3+ networks, non-developable, differential pressurization… still lots of mechanics to be understood and geometries to be programmed!
February 10, 2026 at 1:46 PM
With computer geometry wizards Ofir & Mélina, we also introduce a purely geometric inverse design algorithm. Usable to program any developable geometry, without any costly optimisation!
February 10, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Staggering the networks while tuning the widths of alternating tubes allows for a precise control of the curvature of the inflated object through differential contraction. It’s just like a bilayer, but continuously programmable!
February 10, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Through successive soldering, we managed to fabricate two distinct, bound networks of tubes. Our new inflatables are far stiffer than usual thin-sheets inflatables due to their homogeneous thickness — no free rotation along the welding lines!
February 10, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Our article on multilayer inflatables has been published! A physics-computer graphics collab in which we introduce a new type of thin-sheet balloons and discuss their shape programming 🎈 @espciparispsl.bsky.social @pmmh-lab.bsky.social
dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
February 10, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Je soutiendrai demain 24 juin ma thèse de doctorat à Jussieu, amphi 55A à 14h, ouverte à tous. Il y aura une retransmission via Zoom -- lien sur demande !

Poster pour la conférence Functionality through Nonlinearity comme illustration
June 23, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Moreover, we discuss the rotationnal behavior of the junction, there is some cool mechanics with a “universal” behavior in that discussion.
March 17, 2025 at 4:16 PM
(bending stiffness is usually, like, really hard to measure precisely for thin/complex membranes and sheets)
March 17, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Since the shape scales as a function of the tensile force in the system, the junction angle between the two rods does not change regardless of the loading. We show how we can harness this cool property for a precise, purely visual measurement of bending stiffnesses!
March 17, 2025 at 4:14 PM
In it, we show how this junction is a combination of two self-similar, classical solutions of Euler’s Elastica. The shape of this boundary layer is determined by the (a)symmetry of the bending stiffness
March 17, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Our article on the junction of slender objects under tension has been published @pmmh-lab.bsky.social! We discuss a cool phenomenon found in numerous systems, from kirigamis, kuttsukigami from @abcroll.bsky.social, and inflatables to more traditional tearing/peeling
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
March 17, 2025 at 4:13 PM