Hasso-Plattner-Institut
Prof. Dr. Patrick Baudisch
 

Interactive Fabrication: Interacting with Physical Matter

3D printing is so slow that printing reasonably sized objects requires printing overnight. Comparable to punched card systems in computing. However, as we moved towards faster processing in computing, we discovered that speed does not only allow to achieve more in less time, but also allows for interactive use (batch system -> command line -> direct manipulation). In the same manner as we directly manipulate digital data with out hands (touch screens), we also want to directly manipulate physical matter with our hands. For this, matter needs to change quickly, i.e. needs to be refabricated instantly.  

Constructable (fullpaper at UIST 2012) allows users to create physical objects by drawing directly on the workpiece while in the laser cutter

LaserOrigami (best paper award at CHI 2013) allows users to produce fully assembled 3D objects using a laser-cutter--two orders of magnitude faster than with a 3D printer.

FaBrickation(best paper nominee at CHI 2014) speeds up fabrication time of functional 3D printed objects by integrating construction kit building blocks.

WirePrint(full paper at UIST 2014) prints 3D objects as wireframe previews. By extruding filament directly into 3D space instead of printing layer-wise, it achieves a speed-up of up to a factor of 10, allowing designers to iterate more quickly in the early stages of design.

Platener(best paper nominee at CHI 2015) speeds up design iterations of 3D models by extracting straight and curved plates from the 3D model and substituting them with laser cut parts. 

The five grand challenges in personal fabrication

Scotty

Scotty (full paper at TEI 2015) is a simple self-contained device that preserves intellectual property during object relocation across distances.