Soft Materials Engineering is a soft-materials engineering consultancy: technical textiles, foams, inflatable structures, joining. We solve the technical problems that resist, from specification to production-ready prototype.
Float, protect, cushion, lift, store. An inflatable replaces part of the material with air: lighter, and more compact once deflated, provided pressure, materials and joints are under control. Custom airbag, float, soft structure: you have the idea; it has to become reliable, compliant and manufacturable at scale. Design, calculations and prototyping are done in-house.
Comfort, absorption, protection, lightness, with no compromise on freedom of movement. Technical textiles under protection, absorption, comfort or mechanical constraints: material selection and qualification, product design, then pattern making and prototyping with partner workshops.
A few projects carried out for our clients, from specification to series production. The case studies detail the brief, the hurdles and the solutions chosen.
A life jacket built into a child's T-shirt, discreet in everyday use. Inflatable geometry optimized to turn the child face-up out of the water, thin textiles that withstand CO₂ inflation, standard compliance testing.
Lépine Gold Medal 2023 · Mayor of Paris Prize
A foldable inflatable bike helmet that fits in your bag. PPE standards analysis, ergonomics developed with an ENSCI industrial designer, industrial prototype integrating cost and production constraints.
Road Safety Innovation Prize 2022
A deployable textile that protects vines from hail, rain, UV and frost, then folds into a compact volume. Requirements translated into textile criteria, material R&D, laboratory test campaigns for industrial qualification.
CES 2026 · Best of Innovation, Food Tech
Soft protection for women in contact sports. Specific high shock-absorption PU foam, modular and ergonomic design, accelerated prototyping and validation testing.
ISPO Brandnew Finalist 2018
An airbag belt designed to reduce the risk of hip fracture in a fall. Airbag, electronics and gas in a minimal volume; thin materials that withstand explosive inflation.
Custom airbag
Thin, high-performance, fast-drying period underwear. Selection of absorbent, hypoallergenic and antibacterial textiles, comfort and absorption testing, support through to production.
From prototype to series production
A high-end winter rug for horses, focused on the animal's comfort without sacrificing aesthetics or material durability.
Technical textilePrototypes and projects under non-disclosure agreements: we only share the outline. Discreet, but just as complete.
Find the real bottleneck. It isn't always the one you think.
Specification, manufacturing drawings, material selection.
Calculation models and physical tests before the first prototype.
Workshop, iterations, then series production.
Approved under the French Research Tax Credit (CIR), 2024 · 2025 · 2026.For companies taxed in France, R&D work entrusted to SME may, depending on your situation, be included in your CIR base. Check with your accountant.
Articles in French.
16 décembre 2022Des ballons gonflables pour relever la capsule Orion de la NASA : Archimède, volumes et un peu de calcul.
5 octobre 2022L'Inflatoplane de Goodyear et le tissu drop-stitch : comment obtenir des surfaces planes en gonflable.
7 décembre 2018Le MIT et BMW impriment en 3D une structure gonflable en silicone : intérêt et limites pour l'ingénierie gonflable.
5 octobre 2016Comment de fines gouttelettes rendent le fil de soie d'araignée compressible et rétractable, et ce que cela promet pour les matériaux souples.
Started out in technical textiles (Le Coq Sportif, Damart, Hutchinson), then inflatable structures for Peugeot Citroën, Air France and Airbus. Soft Materials Engineering since 2016.
Between designer and engineer: looking for the creative solution, always manufacturable. Joining your team for the duration of the project, as if it were his own. The products shown here have won awards at CES, the Concours Lépine and from France's road safety authority.
« Limitation makes the creative mind inventive. »Walter Gropius
Translated from French.
“Benjamin first helped us structure a demanding specification, integrating complex technical parameters […]. He turned our needs into a clear framework.”
“Thanks to his expertise in textile engineering, he identified the right suppliers, found the best materials and designed the assembly to ensure flawless quality and performance.”
“With his methodical and innovative approach, he defined robust and viable concepts, turning an idea into a concrete solution. He also built the first prototypes with great technical skill […].”
“Beyond his undeniable expertise in his field, what stands out is his mindset, his pragmatic analysis of a complex situation and his ability to come up with proposals.”
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A sketch, a prototype that won't work, a feasibility question. A few lines are enough to start.