bellybutton by sofia garcia noriega from mexico

this project is about the combination of high-tech new materials such as hytrel, by dupont, with the classic beauty strass swarovski crystals.
the tile consists of a 10 x 10 centimeters surface made of hytrel, which is a thermoplastic polyester elastomer that has the peculiarity of ranging from elastic to stiff depending on the formulation, with great properties for applications where flexing or bending occurs. this means that we can have different textures from the same plastic injection molding process. from the surface, a flexible bubble-like structure comes out as a button that you press to turn on the led light, twisting the screw cap allows it to come off letting you change a single battery which supports energy to 8 led lights. the elastomer is available in any customized color, it will dictate the color of the light reflected by the crystals. this is a great idea for a beautiful and modern tile that at the same time plays the role of a glowing accent for the room it embellishes.