# Mimicking Termites to Generate New Materials

**Source**: https://aph.caltech.edu/news/mimicking-termites-to-generate-new-materials-1
**Parent**: https://aph.caltech.edu/people/daraio

[Home](https://aph.caltech.edu/)
 / 
[News](https://aph.caltech.edu/news)
 / 
Mimicking Termites to Generate New Materials

# Mimicking Termites to Generate New Materials

August 26, 2022

Inspired by the way termites build their nests, researchers at Caltech have developed a framework to design new materials that mimic the fundamental rules hidden in nature's growth patterns. "We thought that by understanding how a termite contributes to the nest's fabrication, we could define simple rules for designing architected materials with unique mechanical properties," says [Chiara Daraio](https://eas.caltech.edu/people/daraio), G. Bradford Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics; Investigator, Heritage Medical Research Institute. [[Caltech story](https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/mimicking-termites-to-generate-new-materials)]

Written by

Benjamin Peltz

Professor Chiara Daraio

### Subscribe

[*The Caltech Weekly*](https://www.caltech.edu/caltech-weekly)

### Share this

### Tags

[centers](https://aph.caltech.edu/news?tag=centers)

[See All News](https://aph.caltech.edu/news)