We investigate the chirality creating mechanism in opening seed pods and mimick it using synthetic strips. In frustrated bodies as such, the equilibrium configuration is determined by a competition between bending and stretching energies, that is controlled by a single dimensionless parameter ω, that depends on the strip's width,  thickness and  spontaneous curvature.

I will show the geometrical and mechanical equivalence between the above elastic systems and self assembled macro-molecules made of twisted elements.

I will also show experiments in responsive gels, showing how a continuous variation in ω yields an ordered shape transition from flat to twisted and helical shapes and to tubes. Similar transitions have been observed in self assembled macro-molecules.